'Their strength is fast bowling now': Tait hails Bangladesh's pace revolution Down Under

Watching from afar, Shaun Tait is a proud man. The former Bangladesh pace bowling coach has watched his former charges rattle Australia's top order on the opening tour of the summer, and he believes their rise is no flash in the pan.

Speaking exclusively to Cricbuzz, the former Australian tearaway said he took particular satisfaction in seeing the touring pace unit perform in his own backyard, even against his home country.

"I'm very proud of them, I must say. I'm very happy. Even though they're playing against my home country, I'm just so pleased to watch them do well."

Depth beyond Nahid Rana

Bangladesh are missing express quick Nahid Rana for the series, yet the rest of the pack has stepped up — proof, Tait says, of the depth he always believed existed in the country's fast-bowling ranks.

"I think I did an interview with you maybe when I was bowling coach and I feel we spoke about it, as I said to you that there's some great depth there. Even if there's a couple of injuries, there are other guys to come in and stand up. And I truly believe all the fast bowlers, they can all play all three formats. I think all of them are very versatile bowlers and I think that's a massive thing for Bangladesh."

Hasan Mahmud's quiet rise

Tait singled out Hasan Mahmud, who has returned from an elbow complaint and a stint of county cricket with Kent to lead the attack in Australia.

"Recently he had an elbow complaint and so I think he's done really well to come back from that injury. The medical staff have obviously done a good job with him. I think the most important thing is he went to play county cricket as well for Kent... We know he can play Test cricket but with his yorkers he can also play T20Is."

For a fast bowler, Hasan is unusually serene — a quality Tait regards as one of his biggest assets.

"Extremely calm, very mild-mannered, nice person, you know. Like, not the typical fast bowler, aggressive, and all this sort of thing, but he's an intelligent person. He thinks about his cricket really well and I think you're right, he's very humble. He's a very level-minded person. Coming to Australia and performing like that is just fantastic."

Tait added that Hasan understands his limitations — he cannot hit 150kph — and makes up for it with relentless accuracy.

"I'm looking at this Test match, he's just bowling really boring which is exactly what you need to do in Test cricket, as you just need to bowl a boring length, a good length all the time. The best bowlers in Test cricket do that... Even if you look at the Test match compared to even some of the Australians, Hasan's been really consistent with his line and length. And that's the trick. If you can be consistent, you can be successful."

Fuller lengths, brighter future

One of the most significant improvements in Bangladesh's bowling overseas has been the shift away from the short ball and toward fuller lengths on pitches they are not used to. Tait says that is exactly the message he preached during his time in charge.

"100%. You're exactly right there. That's a big thing. If you're pitching the ball up in Test cricket, any form of cricket, you know, we used to talk about this with them when I was there, and I think they've continued that even since I've left. I know the coaching staff are still pushing that idea, just to bowl that fuller length, especially in conditions. And I think later in the year they're going to South Africa as well. It's the same thing in South Africa. Pitch the ball up there, bowl a little bit, almost to the point where you're bowling a little bit too full — it's better than bowling too short."

He even believes the fuller-length philosophy can work in the subcontinent, where Bangladesh are no longer solely reliant on spin.

"I think it just takes Bangladesh cricket to understand that their strength right now is fast bowling. That's definitely the case, and I believe Bangladesh's strength at the moment in their cricket is fast bowling. And they started producing better, better pitches at home in Bangladesh for the fast bowlers, and they got some really good results, even in white-ball cricket. If they just keep nurturing their fast bowlers and keep producing wickets in Bangladesh that give the fast bowlers something, they're going to have a lot of success, and like we've seen, they can go overseas and also have the same success."

Keep it simple, keep it consistent

Tait, who played just three Tests for Australia, says the greatest bowlers in history share one trait — simplicity — a mantra he impressed upon Nahid Rana over the past year.

"A lot of my conversations with Nahid Rana even over the last 12 months were just, just keep it simple. You bowl 150 kilometers an hour, you don't need to do much. You don't need a million slower balls, you don't need too many things. You just need to bowl a consistent area and your pace is already there."

He insisted the credit belongs to the players, not the coaches, and revealed the secret to getting the best out of Bangladesh's quicks was creating a calm, happy environment rather than overloading them with information.

"I think sometimes too much credit goes to the coaches... at the end of the day the players really do deserve the credit."

Tait, who stepped down from the full-time role for family reasons, said he would be open to returning in a consultancy capacity in the future — while the immediate challenge for Bangladesh is simple: back up the impressive first-Test showing in the second match against Australia.