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Russell Domingo lashes out at Bangladesh players for their poor mindset

Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo lashed out at Bangladesh players for failing to win the opening Test against Sri Lanka despite dominating the first two days of the match. 

Domingo feels that with the current mental state of the Bangladesh players, they won’t be successful in the longest formats. The mentality to not lose rather than going for the win won’t help Bangladesh going forward feels Domingo. 

The Bangla Tigers are currently at the bottom of the points table in the ICC Test Championship and is looking to sign off their campaign in the tourney with a victory under their belt. 

Ever since making their Test debut way back against India in 2000, Bangladesh have never managed to produce consistent performances in Tests. Bangladesh have won just 14 out of the 122 Tests they have played so far. Out of the 14 victories, 11 have come against Zimbabwe and West Indies. 

As per reports in the Cricbuzz, it is learnt that Domingo felt that Bangladesh should have declared at tea on the second day just after crossing the 500-run mark but skipper Mominul Haque allowed the batters to keep batting which wasted a lot of time. The approach clearly didn’t impress Domingo despite the skipper lauding his team for drawing the match especially after some poor performances in the longest format. 

"It is disappointing when a drawn Test is seen as a massive success. I am not here for drawn Tests. We don't want to lose Tests but we should have a mental shift. We have to play to win, and not merely be happy with draws. I have had six or seven Tests with the team now, I think I understand our team and culture. I know the areas we need to improve on, particularly on the mental side of things in Tests,” Domingo was quoted as saying by the Cricbuzz. 

There's a long way to go. There's a fear of losing Tests, and that's something that we have to come away from. We have to play to win. At the moment I feel we are playing not to lose. It is a mental shift that we need to make. That mental shift will take a bit of time. Guys haven't been successful in Tests. Until we change that mindset, we will always be okay with mediocrity. It is not something I want to be part of," he further added.

Domingo feels that there needs to be a serious change in the mindset of the players. The current Bangladesh team lacks the intent in winning Test matches. Rather than being happy with a draw, they have to start thinking of victories in the longest format. Their record in Tests despite playing this format for over two decades is dismal, to be honest. 

"We want to take the team forward and play the game to win. We have to bat first in tough conditions. We have to declare to give ourselves enough time to bowl sides out. Those are the shifts that you have to make to become a serious Test-playing nation," Domingo said. 

Bangladesh missed the likes of Shakib Al Hasan for the Test series owing to his IPL commitments. With Shakib out of contention, Domingo said that they need to play five bowlers in the absence of Shakib which gives them a better chance in the longest format. Over the years, Bangladesh have focussed on at least 7-8 batsmen but playing 5 bowlers in the opening Test gave a fair idea about their changes in attitude. However, it wasn’t replicated on the field. 

"I need to chat with the selectors this afternoon, but I think that's the way forward. When you have Shakib in the team, it allows you to play seven batters. When you don't have that all-rounder, we have to be brave and try to have five bowlers who can get us 20 wickets. If it was solely up to me, it would be the way to go, but there's a panel of selectors that need to be consulted with, and it got to be a decision that we all have to support," Domingo quipped.

Under the coaching of Domingo, Bangladesh have just managed to win a solitary Test in 8 attempts. Despite not being happy with their performance in the opening Test, Domingo is hopeful of the fact that Bangladesh can win the Test series against Sri Lanka. 

"We want to try to win the series. It will be a great achievement for Bangladesh to win a series in Sri Lanka. Winning a Test series abroad is a goal that we have set ourselves. We have to play well over the five days. Sri Lanka are a tough side to beat, especially at home. Our focus is on starting the Test well, and one session at a time," Domingo signed off.

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