David Hemp has been Bangladesh’s batting coach for eight months, with 14 months remaining on his contract, but is now facing criticism after recent batting failures against India and South Africa. While there has been some success, long-standing batting issues persist, highlighting deeper issues that persist despite frequent coaching staff changes. The 53-year-old former Bermuda opener spoke to Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan about Bangladesh’s batting struggles in Test cricket, the impact of Shakib Al Hasan, and more. The extracts are as follows:

The Daily Star (DS): The Daily Star (DS): The Batters’ nightmarish performance against South Africa must have disappointed you.

David Hemp (DH): Of course, everyone is understandably disappointed because you lost a game of cricket. It’s also disappointing because you know you have the skills but you still can’t perform. It’s rather frustrating to say because the players prepared well. But unfortunately, that’s the game. Someone will win and someone will lose. You just need to be honest in your thinking about your individual game and continue to work on improving your performance. And that’s all we can ask of the players.

DS: Unlike elsewhere in Bangladesh, Chattogram provided an excellent batting surface in the second Test. Earlier, we blamed bad wickets for not doing well in Tests. But despite a good wicket where the opposition team also scored big runs, how do you assess our downfall here?

DH: It could depend on several things. But batting is all about decision-making. Every time a ball is released, you have a decision to make. Is it a ball to attack or is it a ball to defend? Should I play forward, should I play backwards or should I go? These are some basic questions you need to ask yourself as a drummer. If you look at that game, our decision-making wasn’t as good as it was before and could have been. This is the area where we need to continue to challenge ourselves as a batting group.

DS: In both innings of the Chattogram Test, Bangladesh’s batters collapsed like a house of cards. What was the plan after South Africa imposed tracking?

DH: When it came to this game, everyone had planned how they wanted to play. Unfortunately, it didn’t work. In terms of decision making, you have to be honest with yourself. They didn’t make good decisions on the balls they faced. You have to give yourself a chance to enter. Look at the people who have had success for us recently. If you go back to Mushi’s double hundred in Pakistan, he made some very good decisions over a very long period. If you see Mominul’s hundred, even in India, he made good decisions. You can’t hide the fact that that’s where we should be thinking as a hitting group. Yes, if you have a failure in the first round, there will always be extra pressure in the second because you will try to rectify that, which will make you think differently. The main thing is how we practice. Once you start making better decisions in practice, playing with match intensity and being challenged in practice, game situations will become easier to manage.

DS: Did the fear of failure take over the Bangladesh batters in the second innings?

DH: I don’t think it’s a fear factor. People were using their feet, coming down through the wickets and playing shots. Coming back to decision making, it’s all about playing the right shots in the right situation against the right pitcher. Was it a wise option on this particular wicket at this particular time? It’s not the fear of failure. Our players, if you see them training, play with complete freedom. Generally, they make very good decisions except for transferring them in a match situation. Once you succeed, your confidence grows and you become smarter because you gain more experience, etc. As a player, you have to trust your preparation and make sure you do everything possible to succeed. This goes back to your preparation phase. That’s all you can talk about: knowing your options and choices. The best players in the world make very good decisions over a period of time. This is why they are the best and are on average over 50 years old.

DS: It has become common to not get decent totals in testing. We were lucky in Pakistan to recover from 26 for six, but since then, in the last four Tests, nothing has gone in our favor. What problems have you identified?

DH: If we had scored 300 runs in the first innings in Dhaka, we would have won the Test. We also took six early wickets from the Proteas in this match. In the other match in India, the opposition bowlers had very good skills. You now have some top-notch hitters, such as Shadman, Joy and Zakir, who are playing under a lot of pressure at the moment. They all scored hundreds at once. In terms of development, they are still learning the game, and it is difficult to play as a top player against the new ball. From a hitter’s perspective, good hitters make really good decisions over a longer period of time. This is what everyone in our batting group should aim for. And that’s what we’re talking about.

DS: What reaction do you get from players when you work with them?

DH: If you look at some of these players, as an example, I worked a lot with Zakir and Joy last year at the Emerging Asia Cup. If I look at Zakir today compared to then, he is a better player. You work daily with the players. I saw growth in each of them. Yes, you won’t always immediately see the transition to where it is now. They are growing, developing and understanding themselves and the game better. It is the consistency in test matches that is a challenge. It not only tests you technically, but also mentally and tactically.

DS: There have been off-field problems in our cricket. Does this affect the players and their performance?

DH: My personal view is that I don’t think so. We train a lot with the players and spend a lot of time with them. I don’t see any signs in their energy or approach that any off-field issues are affecting them. This is my observation.

DS: After the Chandika Hathurusingha episode, is the coaching staff worried about being treated the same way in the future?

DH: Personally, I don’t think so. None of the coaches expressed it either. You have to continue your work, do it every day to try to improve these players.

DS: Have you seen Najmul Hossain Shanto playing the role of captain in the recent serial?

DH: I think he really enjoys this role and likes the responsibility. He always said that captaincy didn’t impact his batting because he took the time. I think it’s more the mental demand of the captaincy that could be a challenge. As a captain, you have to do press conferences, attend meetings – whether it’s a bowling meeting or a batting meeting – do media work and get pulled in different directions, all while playing. He loves this role and I know he is very passionate about it.

DS: The lingering doubts about Shakib Al Hasan’s participation, does that disrupt the team to some extent?

DH: I think ultimately it will be the selectors who make that decision. If he makes himself available, they will decide. From his point of view, he is a very experienced player, so there is no doubt that he will add value to the team. If Shakib feels he cannot contribute as he would like, especially with limited playing time as he is only available for matches outside the country, that could potentially make things difficult. I think the selectors and Shakib will find what is best. From a player’s point of view, I enjoy having him here because of his experience and the conversations he has with the players. And of course, he remains a very good player.