Former England batsman Mal Loye recalls his time coaching in Dhaka, and looks at Bangladesh’s recent form
Tim Wigmore06-Oct-2016After most days as Bangladesh high performance coach, Mal Loye would go to the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe in Dhaka, 50 yards away from his home. He liked to go for a scone and cappuccino as a “little treat” after training. The staff used to teach him a few words of Bengali every day, to help him fit in.On July 1 this year, the café was attacked by terrorists. Twenty hostages and two police officers were killed and the Islamic State claimed credit for the attacks. “It was all a bit close to home,” Loye says. “It was upsetting to know what happened to people that worked there.”
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In May last year, Loye set off for Bangladesh in the spirit of adventure. As an ambitious young coach, he had stumbled upon a fine opportunity, a long way removed from his previous job, as a coach at Wellingborough School, a plush English private school.He was not oblivious to security concerns before moving to Dhaka, especially with a young child back home in England. Yet these did not prevent him from hurling himself into local life. “I had my own driver. You could not drive – it’s just different rules on the road. That was about the only security I had. I wanted to be part of the culture, so I probably put myself in situations I shouldn’t have as a westerner. I got really involved in downtown Dhaka, but that was my choice.”Loye also immersed himself in his “fantastic job”. His role was to develop the next generation of Bangladeshi cricketers, and those on the fringe of the national side, with a particular brief to develop players’ ability in overseas conditions. “We knew they could compete at home, in Test cricket as well, but it’s how they were going to adapt overseas, because they’ve never travelled well.”He attempted to develop batsmen’s proficiency against pace bowling by changing their mindset. “Using the depth of the crease and understanding how to be more attacking against fast bowling, rather than just surviving, was a big thing.”Of the batsmen Loye worked with, two stood out. Sabbir Rahman is “very, very talented. I’ve tried to broaden his mind really to become a Test player as well.” He was also impressed with Mosaddek Hossain, a 20-year-old who made his debut in the series against Afghanistan after outstanding returns in Bangladeshi domestic cricket: Hossain’s first-class average is 70.89. “He’s an exceptional player against spin. Part of the programme was how to make him better against pace bowling. I do see him as a real superstar of the future in Bangladesh cricket.”While Loye’s expertise is with the bat, one bowler also caught his eye: Mustafizur Rahman. “The first time I saw him I thought this guy can be very, very special. I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a bowler since Wasim Akram. He has so much ability: natural pace, great variations, very competitive, a really good athlete.”
“I wanted to be part of the culture so I probably put myself in situations I shouldn’t have as a westerner. I got really involved in downtown Dhaka, but that was my choice”
Loye’s time in Bangladesh coincided with the best spell in the nation’s cricketing history – the ODI series victories at home against Pakistan, South Africa and India. He had been told about Bangladesh’s infatuation with cricket, but Loye had not appreciated quite how deep it went until Bangladesh had beaten India. “When they won that series, I hadn’t quite seen a reaction like it – the noise and roar, it was a street party like I’d never seen before. It’d be a bit like if England won the football World Cup in England.”Though Loye was not involved in the national squad during their triumphs, he believes the high-performance programme helped to improve players who broke into the side – and, just as significantly, that the extra competition drove those already in the team to better themselves.And yet the success Bangladesh enjoyed during Loye’s stint there stands out as a glorious exception in the country’s cricket history. “They have underperformed. They are a cricket-mad country. There’s 170 million people and there’s a lot of players coming through.”When asked how well the Bangladesh Cricket Board is run, Loye’s response is instructive. “It could be better,” he laughs. “It’s got so much potential, but people have been saying that for 20 years. One thing we noticed is, there wasn’t a record of the work that the coaches had done previously, so the next coach that comes in has to pretty much start again.” And while the national squad’s training facilities are good, they “potentially could be a lot, lot better”. Cricket in Bangladesh is “a little bit like the traffic, it somehow gets through – that’s the best way of describing it”.Chandika Hathurusingha, Bangladesh’s coach since 2014, has been instrumental in the side’s rise, and fielding is a particular focus. “Last year the goal was to be the best fielding side in one-day cricket in the world,” Loye says. “They really take pride in that.” He reckons that Sabbir* is among the ten best fielders in the world today.So immersed was Loye in his role with Bangladesh that he had intended to return to the country full-time to continue his work, bringing his family with him. Indeed, he’d hoped he might even progress to working with the national squad full-time.Loye on Mustafizur Rahman: “I don’t think I’ve ever been as excited about a bowler since Wasim Akram. He has so much ability: natural pace, great variations, very competitive, a really good athlete”•Associated PressBut a few days after he returned to England last September, an Italian man was shot near where Loye lived in Dhaka. Soon after, Australia received threats and postponed their tour. Loye received “inside knowledge that there were a few security issues”. Though sad to leave a job incomplete, he left for good.”That’s the real disappointment. We put a lot of time and effort into the high-performance and A team and young players coming through,” he says. “It was a great job. I loved the culture, the players and the set-up there. But I’ve got a young family and I just weighed the whole thing up. It wasn’t really an option in the end.”
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Yet while Loye did not feel safe enough to continue living in Bangladesh, he would have no problem touring as a player. “I would definitely tour. They’ve ticked every box in terms of the security, the position of the hotel, their journey into the ground. I’d go, I definitely would. It’s crucial that international cricket happens for Bangladesh as well.”He has told some English players as much. “They’re going to be apprehensive. I remember being apprehensive before I went out there but I was on my own. With a national team and a very well-organised security set-up, I reassured them that I’d be more than comfortable touring Bangladesh.”When England’s series with Bangladesh begins, Loye fears that Bangladesh will struggle to replicate their stirring limited-overs form of 2015. The ODIs against Afghanistan were Bangladesh’s first for ten months.”I just feel that with western coaches probably not going to Bangladesh anymore, with the security situation, and the lack of cricket they’ve played, it’s almost as if they’ve gone a few steps back,” he says. “I don’t think they play enough cricket at international level – in Bangladesh or overseas.”They look as though they’re rusty. This time last year, they’d just beaten Pakistan, India and South Africa, and saw themselves as hot favourites going into that Australia series. They were in a really confident mood, especially in one-day cricket.” Then, Loye would have backed Bangladesh to beat England at home in ODIs; now, he considers England favourites.And for all his affection for Bangladesh, and many of those in the team today, Loye’s loyalties in the series are not divided. “I’ve played for England. I want England to win.”14:34:54 GMT, October 7, 2016: *The article originally said Mustafizur