Batting to score, not survive – the mindset shift behind Mominul Haque's transformation

Mominul Haque spoke with Cricbuzz about his transformation as a batter and his changed mantra: batting to score runs rather than merely survive at the crease.

How much are you actually enjoying your batting right now?

Mominul: For the last year or so, it feels like how we used to play tape-tennis cricket in our childhood. Going to the field with that pure enjoyment of the game. I feel that exact same fun playing cricket now.

You are having this fun because you've reached a stage where you have very little to prove?

Mominul: Exactly. At this age, I have nothing to lose and nothing left to prove. If I fail, I fail. If I succeed, I succeed. When you worry less about failure, you get more enjoyment out of success. I don't think too much about failing anymore. I think about how to enjoy the game.

Can you explain what Chandika Hathurusingha meant by "flow"?

Mominul: To perform regularly, your fundamental requirement is to understand your pattern of play. How will you start your innings from the very first ball? How will you adjust in the first 20 balls? When you know these things and this pattern is established, your flow will develop. Hathu probably believes I know how to start that flow, how to handle it, and how to accelerate after that.

You've changed your pattern batting at No. 3 versus No. 4?

Mominul: Yes. In the last two series, in three matches I faced the new ball within one or two overs. You cannot accelerate immediately because you have to adjust to conditions, bowlers, swing and seam. Every batter in the world has to change these patterns depending on conditions.

You've expanded your range of shots now?

Mominul: This mindset developed when I worked with Hathu in Australia. My mindset changed. Previously I used to bat just to stay at the crease, thinking I had to survive. I've changed that. Now I play to score runs. When you play to score runs, your body movement and everything else works better.

What kind of training was it in Australia?

Mominul: He didn't do anything technical with me. He believed I knew how to score runs. In 12-13 sessions, we worked on only one thing: my mindset. How I will approach the beginning, when to take risks and when not to. That's it.

Was it difficult to change that mindset after years of focusing on survival?

Mominul: Just creating the mindset isn't enough. You have to practice accordingly. He put me in various situations, and we worked on how to overcome challenges. Just having a mindset won't do. You have to work on it, practice it. Even then, you might not succeed in execution. But the chance will be there.

How important is belief in the coach?

Mominul: How much you trust the person coaching you is crucial. When Hathurusingha was here for seven or eight years, I developed that kind of trust. Even if he says something unconventional, I trust his judgement. Because he said it, it caught on better in my mind.

Despite scoring runs, you're still not converting them into centuries?

Mominul: Instead of fixating on a century, I analyze what mistakes I'm making during that period. I focus on how to bat through four or five sessions. When I miss out on a 100, it's usually because I've only batted for two or two-and-a-half sessions. Thinking about how to play more sessions is a better cricketing approach.

What mindset will you carry into the Australia tour?

Mominul: I will go with my mindset and my preparation. I can never predict the result, but I will play according to my process. Whether it happens or not is in Allah's hands.

What is your expectation following Bangladesh's recent rise in Test cricket?

Mominul: It's not as though everything will suddenly fall apart just because we are touring Australia. That is rubbish thinking. Our main target is not winning against Australia – that comes later. Our main target is to sustain for five days, to play five days of cricket. If we play a Test match and say beforehand we will win, nobody can say that. Our target is how to dominate day by day with good cricket. The result comes after five days.