Focused Tigers keep their feet grounded
There was no official training session for Bangladesh on Sunday, a day after their comprehensive six-wicket win over Afghanistan in their World Cup 2023 opener. Only five members of the Tigers' squad worked out in the gym of the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala yesterday.
Mushfiqur Rahim, Towhid Hridoy, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman and Tanzim Hasan Sakib along with assistant coach Nick Pothas and trainer Nick Lee arrived at the stadium around 10:00 am local time. The cricketers worked out at the gym for about a couple of hours before leaving the ground without interacting with the media.
The remaining members of the Bangladesh team opted to rest at the team hotel, enjoying a well-deserved break after a promising start to their World Cup mission. The Tigers, however, will get back to the field today as they have a practise scheduled ahead of their crucial second game of the tournament against the defending champions England on Tuesday.
Despite the commanding win over Afghanistan – the Tigers had romped to the 157-run target with 92 balls remaining, a record-margin win for Bangladesh in the World Cup in terms of balls remaining -- Shakib Al Hasan and his troops seemed to have their feet on the ground.
There were no celebrations from the cricketers in the team hotel after the win on Saturday and it was learned that Shakib has made it clear to his players about keeping their focus intact and to move forward taking one game at a time.
Even the members of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), who travelled to Dharamshala, were given clear instructions not to make any unwanted comments that could spark a controversy or cause a lapse in the players' focus.
"Whenever there is a tournament, the players keep their entire focus on it which is ideal. So, now if we talk to the media often then it may create an unnecessary controversy. The news headlines can hamper the environment around the team. So, in order to avoid such a situation, the players, and even the officials, have been asked to maintain the protocol," chairman of the BCB's media committee Tanvir Islam Tito told the media in Dharamshala yesterday. "At the end of the day, we all want Bangladesh to do well and our aim is to help the players keep their focus so that they can perform freely and bring the best results for the nation."
Apart from that, skipper Shakib will also look to work on a few areas that did not garner much attention as the team won their first game against Afghanistan.
The opening position will once again remain under the scanner after young Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Liton Das failed to make an impact against Afghanistan despite chasing a small target.
It will be interesting to see whether the team management would once again use the in-form Mehedi Hasan Miraz up the order after the right-hander smashed a match-winning fifty while playing for the first time at number three against the Afghans.
Miraz and Shakib also remained instrumental with the ball in hand, picking up three wickets each against Afghanistan. Considering the performance of the spinners in the first game, the Tigers' think tank may opt for an extra spin option against England who began the tournament by receiving a nine-wicket thumping from New Zealand.
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