Camp to begin sans foreign staff

The national cricketers will get back to business today after a long Eid holiday, which started with the end of the Dhaka Premier League, to prepare themselves for the home series against England in October. A number of cricketers spent their holidays abroad but all of the 30 preliminary squad members are expected to join the camp today except Shakib Al Hasan -- who is playing in the Caribbean Premier League -- and pace sensation Mustafizur Rahman, who will fly for England today morning to play for Sussex.

The local coaches and trainers will look after the camp initially as members of the foreign coaching staff were yet to return from the holidays. The national team's strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan was supposed to conduct the initial fitness training of the Tigers as he had done previously, but the Sri Lankan has delayed his arrival citing personal reasons for the delay. 

There have been whispers doing the rounds recently that the foreign staff have been delaying their return as they were concerned with their security in the aftermath of the gruesome Gulshan restaurant attack on July 1.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director and media committee chairman Jalal Yunus however yesterday said that all foreign coaching staff, including head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, will return by the first week of next month.

“They are taking time as there are no important activities initially but we are hopeful that they will join the camp by the first week of next month,” said Yunus when asked about the reasons behind the holiday extensions of the foreign coaches, who were all supposed to return before the start of the camp.

He also said that the BCB took huge security measures and has also written to the home ministry regarding additional security for the foreign staff.

Yunus informed that they have taken a go-slow policy regarding the appointment of the new bowling coach for the national team. “We have already talked with two bowling coaches and one was 95 per cent confirmed and was supposed to join. But we are going slow as we don't need a bowling coach urgently right at this moment. Hopefully we will bring him in if everything goes according to plan,” he added.

England is expected to arrive in Dhaka on September 30 to play two Tests and three ODIs in Mirpur and Chittagong.