'I couldn’t believe that Mushfiqur was batting in front of me'

Twelve out of the 18 net bowlers provided by the Irish Cricket Board to the Bangladesh national team to help them prepare for the upcoming series in Chelmsford in England are of Bangladeshi origins. 

Nine out of the 12 got the opportunity to bowl at the Bangladesh players in the nets on Wednesday and Thursday at the Liege Cricket Ground in Cambridge where these net bowlers were in awe after brushing shoulders with the players they've grown up watching. 

One such excited net bowler was Khaled Ahnaf Audri, who said that it was an unbelievable feeling to watch Mushfiqur Rahim bat. 

"I've grown up watching almost all of these players. A few here are new and there are a few who've been playing for a long time like Mushfiq (Mushfiqur Rahim). I couldn't believe that he was batting in front of me. I am a big fan of Ebadot (Ebadot Hossain) as well. It was fantastic to see him up close and to talk to him," he told The Daily Star.

Most of the net bowlers present in the Tigers camp play in the university leagues, with a few even testing their trade in the minor county league.

Apart from helping the visitors train and prepare, the net bowlers also were able to pick the brains of Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach Allan Donald.

"It was very interesting. I was curious to know what they talk about. As someone who plays at the university level, I don't get exposed to technical discussions such as this. It was very nice to listen to him talk," Khaled said.

"Allan pointed out a few technical mistakes while I was bowling. I will fix them," he added.