Nayeem training in his private bowling alley

The coronavirus halt has marred every athlete's plans and 19-year-old Bangladesh spinner Nayeem Hasan is no exception. The youngster, who was in fine fettle before the enforced break, talked to The Daily Star's Ramin Talukdar over phone, sharing insights into his life during the pandemic. The following are excerpts from that conversation:

The Daily Star (TDS): How are you and how have you been maintaining fitness in this crisis?

Nayeem Hasan (NH): I am fine but it is a challenging time for everyone in general. My fitness is good because I have been working on it. I am doing gym sessions and running sessions and I have also been practicing bowling in front of our house. I am trying to follow the BCB-provided guidelines. I have nothing to do during this time so I am trying to do all types of fitness work.

TDS: Do you have enough space in front of your house to practice bowling?

NH: It is not much space but there is an alley in front of our house. Usually, only a few pedestrians walk by that alley. So I have made it like a pitch by laying down a mat and practice bowling there. I am trying to follow whatever [Bangladesh spin consultant Daniel] Vettori has taught me such as cross-seam bowling and arm bowling.

TDS: How are you maintaining your diet?

NH: My mother is very careful about these things and helps me a lot. I have been avoiding food that I usually like. I suffered from an injury before the Pakistan series [in January this year] and stopped having sweet dishes since then. I have a routine for food intake. I have been avoiding all kinds of desserts and even soft drinks even though I like these very much.

TDS: How are you spending time?

NH: I am doing an English-speaking course and I also try to give my family time. But I spend the majority of the day doing gym work, running and practicing. I do the gym sessions in the morning and then practice bowling from 3 to 5 in the afternoon. I study a bit in the evening. Apart from these, I watch highlights of different matches. I watched the World Cup matches and the matches against Ireland. I also watch my bowling on Youtube.

TDS: How do you take this break after you have been in such a good form?

NH: I had been playing well since the start of the [Bangladesh Cricket] League. I was amongst the wickets and I also worked on fitness-bowling for a bit. I had started getting wickets in the second phase of the BCL after an average start. Everything was going very nicely but now I actually don't know what will happen on the field.  I am doing drills during practice and have been trying to hone my spinning skills. Every player struggles after returning from a long break. I think after one match I can get my rhythm back.

TDS: Do you follow anyone in cricket?

NH: I like Nathan Lyon's bowling so I try to follow him. I also liked Graeme Swann's bowling. And I follow Shakib [Al Hasan] and Mushfiqur [Rahim] bhais' workout styles.

TDS: Do you work on your batting and become an all-rounder?

NH:  I had a flow in my batting before the lockdown as I was working on it then. But now I am not getting the opportunity. I actually want to be an all-rounder but it is not something that can be achieved overnight. I need to get the chance and I will have to prove myself when I get the chance. But I do want to become an all-rounder.