Shaun Tait keeps it simple to find success with Chittagong Kings

In a season with its fair share of controversy, the returning Chittagong Kings have been a feel-good story at BPL 2024-25. Playing their first season since 2013, they finished the league stage at No. 2, sandwiched between the pre-tournament favourites Fortune Barishal and Rangpur Riders, having put on more 200-plus totals than any other team and with their bowling attack having come good more often than not. Head coach Shaun Tait has had a big role to play in that, especially in nurturing the fast bowlers.

Tait, speaking ahead of Monday’s Qualifier 1, in which Chittagong will take on table-toppers and defending champions Barishal, said he had been particularly looking forward to working with the fast-bowling talents at this tournament at a time when Bangladeshi fast bowling is surging.

“I think it is the first time that the Bangladeshi people are really excited about the fast-bowling stocks,” Tait told ESPNcricinfo. “Now the people that are in currently, it’s their job to work with those players. There’s some exciting talent in Bangladesh cricket. I was particularly looking forward to working with those two guys [Chittagong’s Khaled Ahmed and Shoriful Islam]. I worked with Shoriful before. I thought there would be some good progression with Khaled.

“I said to him let’s focus on some really simple stuff. Nowadays in T20 cricket, you can get really confused with field settings. You can get confused with six different deliveries to bowl [in one over]. I tried to get away the fear of being hit. We talked about getting just two or three [types of] deliveries right. We took the analytics away from the game, and kept it simple.”

Keeping things simple has been Tait’s overall approach this season. Perhaps this is influenced by Chittagong missing the services of two gun allrounders: they were meant to have the services of Shakib Al Hasan, but, stung by controversy himself since the political unrest in Bangladesh last year, he is not playing this tournament; another big name missing for Chittagong is Moeen Ali, who is playing the SA20 instead. And so Chittagong have stuck to the likes of Usman Khan, Graham Clark, Haider Ali and Mohammad Wasim, who have delivered the goods.

Tait took a practical approach towards training sessions, making sure that the Chittagong squad focused on what they needed for the upcoming game instead of looking too far ahead.

Tait, who was a player for them in 2013, is one of the returning members in the Chittagong franchise. Owner Sameer Quader Chowdhury has looked to keep familiarity running through the squad. He appointed another former player Enamul Haque jnr as Tait’s assistant coach, while Naeem Islam, Arafat Sunny and Marshall Ayub are still playing and still part of the squad, albeit becoming veterans in the intervening 12 years.

Tait credited the rest of his coaching staff for their part in Chittagong’s success. “I have really enjoyed working with our players. It is not just me in this tournament. I have been the head coach so overseen everything, but we have had a lot of guys who have done the skills work as well.

“We have kept it really simple. We tried to make them [players] understand that if you are really good at your skill, you don’t need to look at all the other factors in the game.”

Overall, Tait has been impressed with the Bangladeshi fast bowlers on show, particularly Hasan Mahmud at the death, and Taskin Ahmed as the role model. “Nahid Rana and Hasan Mahmud have been really good. I didn’t realise Mahmud was such a good death bowler. He hit some yorkers and stuff,” Tait said. “I had only seen him bowl in Tests. I was particularly impressed with him.

“There’s been a lot mentioned about Nahid Rana and his pace. The consistency is going to be a thing for him, as he continues his cricket in the future.

“Our guys Shoriful and Khaled have also really stood up with the best pacers in the competition. And we have seen Taskin for a long time, he is the top wicket-taker, he is leading by example for the younger guys to follow.”