Heath Streak believes Bangladesh have long way to go before becoming Test force
Heath Streak, who is the Bangladesh bowling coach, thinks the team still has a long way to go before becoming the Test force in World cricket. Streak joined Bangladesh in 2014 and is currently in India with the Bangladesh 'A' side for the a series.
"I think realistically Bangladesh still has a long way to go in the Test format. But I think we've taken quite big strides. The confidence we've taken from winning in the one-day arena has spilled over into our Test team. Having said that we've still a long way to go," Streak was quoted saying as by ESPNcricinfo.
Bangladesh are currently enjoying their dream run after back-to-back series victory against Pakistan, Indian, and South Africa recently. All the their triumph came in home but Streak believes they can achieve the same away also.
"The only way we're going to get better at this is by exposing ourselves outside of Bangladesh. That's definitely something the BCB are trying to do. And tours like this where we come to play India A in India is a good opportunity for people to develop outside of Bangladesh conditions," the former Zimbabwean captain said.
Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, and Rubel Hossain are some fast bowlers in Bangladesh team who have achieved big in a small time. They got the successful start which is needed by any fast bowlers in the initial stages and Streak is the one person who has played a critical role in the development.
"For me the simple thing was that the talent was there and so it was really taking that and turning it into results," he says. "When I looked at the bowlers I'd be working with, a lot of them had shown glimpses of being able to perform at international level but never consistently. So I had to try and delve into why this was and really work on them being able to execute their skills under pressure.
"Mustafizur was a really good find for us. Rubel Hossain is also fantastic; he's got awesome pace. Taskin has some raw pace and is very different as well with a bit of height - he's also hungry for success and he's definitely one who will develop in the future.
He concluded by speaking about the captain Mashrafe Mortaza: "And Mashrafe [Mortaza] has obviously got a wealth of experience. He's not as quick as he used to be but he's one of the most tactful bowlers. He's also led the team really well as a bowling captain. So we've got a good balance in terms of the mix of our fast bowling attack and there's some good young guys coming through the system."
Streak has represented Zimbabwe in 65 Tests and 189 ODIs in which he who took 216 and 239 wickets respectively.