Batters strive to add metres without changing basics

Bangladesh's batting effort in T20Is have lagged behind global standards over the years and the lack of power-hitting skills has often been talked about as the biggest reason.

The T20I series wins against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka and Pakistan at home have bolstered mentality ahead of next month's Asia Cup. In both series, Bangladesh's batting efforts in Powerplay showed signs of improvement but middle and death overs batting remained a concern.

To deal with this issue, the Tigers have sought the coaching expertise of renowned power-hitting coach Julian Wood ahead of the Asia Cup.

The team has been undergoing a skill camp since August 15 and batter Jaker Ali Anik informed that Woods is trying to make changes within their game, and has talked to the players about adding a bit more distance to their big shots.

"When he arrived, he told us that he was trying to make changes within the context of our basic game. He is not trying to make us do anything different. So, everyone is trying to get a grip on things from within their own pattern," Jaker said at the press conference.

"Those who are dependent on their timing, he has tried to improve that aspect. He didn't tell those reliant on timing to become power-hitters. It's about adding five to six metres of distance to the shots for players who are timing the deliveries. If that happens, then instead of getting out, those shots would go for six and it will increase chances of big runs," he added.

Wood has often talked about bat swing, head position and hitting base as key areas of his work. But the end game is to get more power, which he had suggested was possible.

In his drills he uses the ProVelocity Bat, a specialised bat which forces batters to generate greater hand speed and helps with sequencing and mechanics when playing shots.

National team stars Soumya Sarkar and Mehidy Hasan Miraz were seen batting with these specialised bats, which has raised curiosity over how it functions.

This unconventional bat has a barrel at the middle of it, which slides to the end when a shot is played, generating a click sound. The goal is to generate a double click sound, which indicates that the bat speed and other mechanics was up to the mark, while a single click indicates there is improvement to be made.

"It's a good feeling when you can get the sound [double click] that he is telling you to achieve. But it takes a lot of force to acquire that sound," Jaker said when asked about the ProVelocity bat.

However, as sessions with Wood has just begun, Jaker said only time will tell how beneficial they prove to be.

Wood, who came to Bangladesh with a four-week contract, will next travel with the team for the Sylhet Camp beginning on August 20.