Rangpur's domestic players a priority for Moody

Tom Moody, Rangpur Riders’ head coach, is focusing on developing domestic players during the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League, even though the ultimate aim would be to help win their first title. Moody, who arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday evening, began his new job with a training sessio with the domestic players n at the Shere Bangla National Stadium.

Moody arrived nine days before the tournament opener on November 4 to ensure the local players understand their roles. Rangpur is already being considered as one of the strongest teams this season, after signing Chris Gayle, Samuel Badree and Brendon McCullum among their overseas picks.

But it has so often happened in past that the local group failed to gel with the overseas players, leading to the side underachieving. This time, however, Rangpur’s domestic roster includes the experienced Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shahriar Nafees and Rubel Hossain. Those four are also backed up by in-form domestic players: Sohag Gazi, Mohammad Mithun and Ziaur Rahman.

“To me it is also about developing players,” Moody said. “I have come here a couple of days early because I was keen to work with domestic players before the international players come. It is important that I know them personally, know their games, build a relationship and trust each other.”

Moody, one of two foreign coaches in the BPL this season, said that he would expect the team’s experienced players to share their knowledge with the younger boys. “Experience is important in any format and T20 is no exception,’ he said. “We have got some experienced players. It is important for me that the experienced players share their knowledge and expertise among the group so we grow and develop collectively.”

Moody’s appointment is seen as an appreciation of the BPL by the broad T20 community. Moody, considered a formidable names in T20 circles, currently has roles in the IPL, CPL and PSL. He said that he was open to the offer from Rangpur, so as to add another challenge to his repertoire.

“I have always enjoyed the challenge of working in the sub-continent, which is why I took over the opportunity to coach Sri Lanka in 2005,” he said. “I could have easily stayed in the comfort zone of working in Australia or England. I am challenging myself in different environments and cultures. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Sri Lanka and in the IPL. This is a challenge that I have experienced, so I welcomed it with open arms.”

Source: ESPN Crickinfo