The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Nawaz last month after Stuart Law’s contract was not renewed. Law was Bangladesh’s coach for the 2024 U-19 World Cup but has since joined the United States men’s national team, which has qualified for the Super 8 stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Nawaz, who returns after two years as head coach of the Sri Lanka men’s national team, said Bangladesh’s young Under-19 players will face even greater expectations, just like he did as a champion.
“The expectations are there for the players in a country like Bangladesh where people are crazy about cricket,” Nawaz said. “They really love cricket. The players will have to carry the burden of expectations. If I win the 2020 (Under-19) World Cup and come back to Bangladesh, there will be expectations (of me), but I think I have to focus on other things. It’s been four years since we won the World Cup. There’s a lot to do.
“As always, BCB has put together a great program like they used to. We will cover all the bases that these boys will face in the next two years, based on our shared experience. We want to give them as much experience as possible. Give them confidence and help them grow. The players are the main carriers of this game. We have to create a happy environment for them. They have to make decisions independently. The coaches will help them make better decisions in the future. That’s what we did four years ago. It got results for us. The fundamentals have not changed yet.”
Nawaz said after travelling across the country to find talented cricketers, he would discuss with age-group selectors the player profiles required for the 2026 Under-19 World Cup in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
“The plan for the next two years is very simple,” he said. “We know what type of cricket the Under-19 boys are playing around the world. There’s been a lot of visibility. My first job is to sit down with the selectors and make sure the pieces (of the puzzle) fit together. What type of talent do we have to build a great team that can win?
“We understand the talent around the world, we apply all the benchmarks to our players and we want to achieve it in two years. That’s what we did before. We want to build a team in two years that can be compared to other countries without fear.”
However, Nawaz stressed that it takes a lot of time and effort to become a successful player at senior level. Teenagers cannot become superstars overnight. “We find a lot of talent in age-group cricket from countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. International cricket is so tough that even if you are very talented at 18, 19 or 20, you don’t get told that by the age of 25 or 30, you will be a superstar.
“Cricket is much more analytical than it used to be. The opposition figures you out very quickly. It’s important for players to be able to work things out, understand the game and correct themselves. You can’t tolerate technical or mental issues for too long. You have to overcome them. The BCB will look at this in high-performance or higher age group programmes that can give players confidence at a higher level.”
