Speaking with PakPassion.net from Bangladesh, Saqlain spoke of his love for coaching and the enjoyment he gets from passing on his skills and what he learnt as a cricketer to young players around the world.

By Saj Sadiq (7 November, 2012)

Saqlain since his playing days have ended has had a number of coaching spells around the world, including the centre of excellence in Australia and as the spin bowling coach for New Zealand Cricket. More recently Saqlain signed an initial four month deal as the spin bowling coach with the Bangladesh Cricket Board and has been working with cricketers in Bangladesh of all ages and levels of experience.

Speaking with PakPassion.net from Bangladesh, Saqlain spoke of his love for coaching and the enjoyment he gets from passing on his skills and what he learnt as a cricketer to young players around the world. In addition Saqlain also spoke of the threat that young off spinner Sunil Narine poses to the Bangladeshi batsmen in the upcoming series and how the Bangladeshis will look to tackle the twenty four year old from Trinidad.

“I’m really enjoying myself working with the Bangladeshi cricketers. I’ve coached the academy youngsters, the Bangladeshi junior teams, worked with the Bangladesh “A” squad, as well as the senior team and the amount of talent in the spin bowling department in Bangladesh is very high. All of the boys that I have come across have been very hard working, keen and very determined. They are very respectful boys who listen to what advice I am giving them and all round we are enjoying working with each other” stated Saqlain.

However despite his enthusiasm for the standard of spinners in the country, Saqlain also stated that it will take Bangladesh cricket some time to produce world class spinners and that patience was the key in this regard.

“You don’t produce world class spinners overnight. There’s a process, it takes time particularly when your domestic set up is not as strong as other nations. If you compare the standard of Bangladesh’s domestic cricket to the likes of England, India or Australia then there is a huge difference. It will take time, it will not simply be a case of producing world class spinners quickly in Bangladesh. Having said that, the passion for cricket and the willingness to learn, amongst Bangladeshi cricketers of all ages and levels of experience is second to none and that will help them going forward.”

Saqlain who took 496 international wickets in a career that spanned eight and a half years confirmed that his initial contract with the BCB is for four months and will end on 13th December and that he would be happy to continue in the role if required. 

“My current contract with the BCB ends on 13th December. There have been some changes at the top of the BCB hierarchy and my future will undoubtedly be discussed soon, so let’s see what happens. If they want me to continue, then I would be more than happy to do so.”

Bangladesh faces World T20 champions West Indies in a two Test match series starting on 13th November in Dhaka and the series will give Saqlain a chance to watch young West Indian off spinner Sunil Narine at close quarters. Saqlain feels that Narine has been very impressive in the shorter formats for domestic teams he has represented and also for his country and he believes that Narine has a bright future ahead of him. However Saqlain ominously added that Test cricket is where Narine will be thoroughly tested and the longer format is where greatness should be measured.

“I’ve seen Narine from time to time on television. He’s an exciting talent. He was given the award for the emerging player of the year at this years ICC awards and he comes to Bangladesh on the back of a very good World T20 tournament in Sri Lanka recently. So he’s in good form and full of confidence. We’ll be analysing his variations ahead of the series and I’ll be advising the batsmen on what to look for. I feel that Narine’s main strength is his control, but the Bangladesh team are very good players of spin and will be looking to unsettle him. The young man has impressed me greatly in the shorter formats of cricket, but he has to remember that taking wickets in Test cricket will be the real challenge for him and a bowler's greatness is measured by his performances in the five day format."

The West Indies play their first match of the tour of Bangladesh against a BCB XI on 8th November at Savar. The tour comprises two Test matches, 5 one day internationals and a solitary T20I.

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