Former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs is currently in Bangladesh where he is coaching Sylhet Thunder in the Bangladesh Premier League. Gibbs recently stated that local players in Bangladesh don’t understand English properly due to which he has been facing difficulties in working with them. He said the players listen to him but barely understand what he says.
Sylhet Thunder are currently placed at the bottom of the Bangladesh Premier League points table with just one win in eight matches. They have a total of 12 players from Bangladesh in the squad out of which five have played for the national team. Gibbs also stated that the local players need to work on their understanding of game apart from learning English.
“About local players, a lot of them don’t understand English. So it’s difficult for me to make points all the time. It’s a frustrating thing. When I talk with them I can see that they are listening but they are not really syncing in,” Gibbs was quoted as saying by Dhaka Tribune.
“I think the understanding of the game needs to be improved. And another thing is, they are very temperamental. I mean it’s difficult for me to explain to them because they don’t understand it properly. I will give you an example. The other day Rubel Mia was opening the batting and he was on 14 off 28 deliveries. I walked on to the field during time-out and I said to him, ‘What is happening, you got 14 off 28 balls?’ And in reply, he just shook his head! It’s not his fault solely but this is the reality,” he added.
“Language barrier is an issue. I would love to be able to speak to players like this, like I am speaking to you now, and hope they can understand every word. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and it’s frustrating. I am not sure how they understand McKenzie when he is coaching to them (smiles). He is from South Africa and I am also from there. He (McKenzie) is also trying to improve them. I know McKenzie is a good coach and the players will learn a lot from him. But I don’t know how much players are actually getting from him. Maybe I have to, you know, learn a new language before I come here next year (smiles),” Gibbs concluded.
