The former Srilankan batsman Samaraweera is very much pleased with his former team mate Hathurusingha for guiding and creating a self believe in the Bangladesh team.
Hathurusingha the coach who guided the inform Bangladesh team to the quarter finals of the 50-50 world cup last year, under his reign they beat India by 2-1 in a three match ODI and also uplifted the final of the Asia cup.
“I think the freedom that the coaching staff led by Chandi gave to the Bangladesh players made them believe they could fight against the top teams. You can see in the last 18 months they beat Pakistan, India and South Africa and they also did well in the World Cup in different conditions. More freedom, belief and support from senior to younger players are what a team requires.
“I think more about the mental toughness and I can see how much they have changed over the last 18 months in terms of the technical aspects,” he observed.
“On the first day I am a bit quiet as I want to get to know the players. There are a few newcomers. I know four to five players as I played against them. Just had a few chats here and there. After another day I will be more comfortable working with this group.
“My first priority is the Afghanistan series because I know that when you are not playing for four to five months, the international arena seems totally different than practice. I think the key is to get into the groove of international cricket. I am not worried about talent as the talent is there.”