‘Players have to upskill to keep up with global strike-rate standard’

English power-hitting coach Julian Wood is no stranger to Bangladesh cricket, having coached Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) sides Chattogram Challengers and Sylhet Sunrisers before. But his forthcoming stint in the country will be different as for the first time he will be working with the national side for a three-week camp on power-hitting from August 10 to September 3. In a conversation with The Daily Star's Abdullah Al Mehdi, the coach talked about what he hopes to achieve through the upcoming camp. Following are the excerpts:

The Daily Star (DS): Are you excited about the Bangladesh camp?

Julian Wood (JW): Yes, absolutely. It's something that I thought was going to happen earlier. I did the BPL twice and there was talk about it back then but nothing really came off it. So, it's good to get things up and running.

DS: What changed for the BCB to acquire your services now?

JW: I think if you look at how the game is going now, the big nations like Australia, India, England are pulling ahead in white ball cricket. So, I think the other nations are starting to fall behind a bit. And I think they realise that they need to do something about it.

DS: What is your assessment on someone like Tanzid Hasan Tamim, who appears to be a natural six-hitter?

JW: Yes, Tanzid looks natural. I think they're going the right way, doing the right things and definitely there are players out there who have the ability to do it and he's obviously one of them. I think the way the game is going now, there is basically a way that players have to evolve their game. It's like there is a global strike-rate standard in T20 cricket which is why players have to upskill and evolve to keep up with the other nations.

DS: Right now, you are conducting a week-long camp in Sri Lanka. Do you feel players in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka need a fundamental shift or minor tweaks in technique for power-hitting?

JW: Size is a thing. If you look at both Bangladesh's and Sri Lanka's players, they're not that big. Whereas the West Indian, English players are big and strong. Bangladeshi or Lankan players need to do things slightly differently. Whereas West Indians or English batters rely heavily on power.

While you can add power to a player's game but with the guys who are smaller, it's basically about rhythm and timing of their movements and the sequencing. That's how smaller guys can hit big sixes.

DS: You are probably referencing someone like Kusal Mendis. What is his secret?

JW: He's got fantastic hand-eye coordination. If you combine that with good skill, he's got enough power, obviously, because he hits sixes. It's the sequencing of his movements, the rhythm and timing of his movements.

He's not just about power, he has superb skill levels. And that's how I see a lot of the Bangladeshi players. They will have enough power, but you can always add power.

DS: How do you actually go about adding power to your game?

JW: Obviously, strength and conditioning is massive. I'll do lots of overload training with heavier bats. Everything I do is very functional. It's not just going in the gym and just lifting loads of weights. It's actually using the muscles and recreating the movements you do when you hit a ball.

DS: What kind of changes do you want to see after the camp?

JW:  I'll be looking at the World Cup potentially since they would be exposed to these methods as time wears on.  Mindset is key. It's not just about physicality, it's a mentality thing as well. With power-hitting, you have to have that trust with the players and if you can do that, you are already ahead of what you want to start working towards.