10 November - Pune - Bangladesh Head Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe pre-match press conference
[Reporter:]
What are your thoughts on this day game and the overall campaign?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Yeah, I think we played two games already starting at 10.30. We played two games. I think we are the only team playing three [day] games in this tournament. It's different, so there's no dew factor to consider. I think the wicket looks really very good. Then we played one game over here, it was a good wicket and fast outfield. So overall campaign, yes, it's disappointing. We didn't perform to our expectation.
[Reporter:]
No Shakib [al Hasan] tomorrow. It's always difficult when you're making an 11 without Shakib. So, how's your thought for tomorrow's combination?
Yes, always safe. We actually spoiled. We had him for a long, long time and I mean when you have someone like Shakib calibre, number one all-rounder, it's two players in one so it's hard to do much with the combination. So, we will definitely want to fill his bowling vacuum with another spinner or a fast bowler. It's batting we're going to miss and his leadership. So, it’s hard.
[Reporter:]
Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad probably playing their last World Cup games and Shakib already played. They all play four or five World Cups. So how do you assess their journey?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Oh, they had wonderful journey overall for a cricketer to play four World Cups is very, very unique and then for Bangladesh cricket, I don't know whether they are playing their last one. So, to be honest, they're still very fit. They're still performing. It's up to them individually to decide that one. So, I can't comment on their last one. But then to play four World Cup - one guy is five, I think, is it? Mushfiqur and Shakib played five. So, it's a wonderful, I mean, anyone playing or start playing cricket and dreaming of playing five. And they have been the best of Bangladesh cricket in the short journey of Bangladesh cricket. If they decided to quit, It's a change of baton kind of thing for Bangladesh cricket.
[Reporter:]
Did you have a chat with these guys? Are they disappointed for not being able to lift a trophy at least despite playing five World Cup?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
No, I haven't had that kind of a chat so far because we only focus on the next game
[Reporter:]
Anamul Haque Bijoy obviously joined the team and he had a practice session I saw that you had a chat with him a long chat with him at least at the end of the tournament - do you feel relieved that you have a backup – a top order batsman or a backup batsman now?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I am relieved. No, not relieved because losing my captain, I can't be relieved. Yes, getting a replacement, like experienced player like Bijoy, It's a good thing.
[Reporter:]
How much is the chance for him to play in the 11 tomorrow?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
He has a 15 to 1 chance of playing tomorrow.
[Reporter:]
How do you see Australia as an opponent? They're five times winner, six matches in a row, especially the last match from 90-7, they recovered to win. How do you see them as an opponent? And do you think the bilateral series between the two countries, especially in one day international, has to rectify a lot.
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I think to rectify that is not up to me, that's for the authorities. But playing against Australia always is a challenge. They're the most successful team in World Cup history. They're a very good team, very professionally prepared, really professional team, playing good cricket. They started slowly but they already qualified. So yeah, playing against them is a big challenge.
[Reporter:]
Before the last match there are a lot of other things also happening. And someone like Alan Donald announced that he's signing out, and the computer analyst. Allan Donald also told the media that some things from the team pinched him a lot and the experience of him was quite not nice. Is it the ideal condition before the last match? Someone from the team saying something like that he's pinched by some of the team members and something like that?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I don't know where you get that from. What I only know is that some of the coaches are finishing their contracts into the World Cup.
[Reporter:]
Had you any chat with him regarding his comments about the timeout decision?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
No, I didn't have any personal chat with him. No.
[Reporter:]
As you said many of the coaching staff are finishing their contract and are leaving the team. Any acknowledgment message for the coaches, especially for Alan Donald, from you?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
Yes, we are actually going to talk to him after the game. He has done a wonderful job since he has been here and contributed to the success of our fast-bowling unit as overall for our team success as well because he's bring a lot of experience and a lot of personality into the team so he's been a wonderful coaching addition to me and me as a coach as well. For experience for me to work with him - so he will be missed.
[Reporter:]
After that timed out incident, war of words is still on. Do you want to put some words here so that things get ended here with this tournament and everything goes normal? Like, Angelo Matthew is still speaking about it, he's tweeting and social media - lot of things are going on there. So, anything from your end, so that this thing gets ended here.
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
I don't think it's going to stop here, if whatever I say. Only thing I can say here is it's one of the mode of dismissal. It was addition, recent addition into the condition of play. I think it's the sixth edition or the fifth edition of playing condition. And my only thing is to keep all this, I don't know whether this is going to stop, but I think my suggestion is, it have to leave it to the umpires to decide, because if you read the law, it says timed out. I don't think it's leave it to the players to appeal and all that. Then everybody has a different opinion on both sides. So that's all I can comment at the moment.
[Reporter:]
After a big defeat of Sri Lanka against New Zealand yesterday, what's going through your mind about the Champions Trophy path in Bangladesh?
[Chandika Hathurusingha:]
We have to play this game, tomorrow's game. So that's what's going through my mind. We have to actually play good cricket to beat Australia. That's all we are focusing on.
Of course, that defeat has some kind of effect, depending on our game. At the moment I can't think of that scenario.