DHAKA—Bangladesh ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal felt his fitness and form is at good stead despite being confined to the room for almost five months due to the COVID-19, a deadly virus that left the world stranded.
Tamim, who started his individual training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket on Sunday, arranged by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) thought he would feel rust as he was not in proper cricketing activities apart from doing some gym work at home comfort.
“I actually started practicing after a long time, after about four/five months,” he said here today.
“Surprisingly I didn’t get as bad as I thought it would be in terms of batting. My batting remains at pretty good stead. In terms of fitness, I am fairly good also. There is a vast difference between activities in the treadmill and the activities under sunlight in open ground,” the highest run-getter for Bangladesh in all formats of cricket added.
“So it may take another week to adjust. The way I am doing everything according to the rules seems very positive to me. I hope I will continue like this. Since we know when our game will start, we are preparing ourselves for the best.”
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has taken several steps to ensure that the mental health of cricketers remains in a good position during the COVID-19 period.
They have taken the initiative to arrange regular meetings with players and coaching staff and the cricketers regularly attend virtual meetings with other coaches, including national team head coach Russell Domingo. Legendary South African batsman Gary Carsten recently attended the virtual meeting to share some tips.
By doing this continuously, Tamim said, they have got enough fuel to stay mentally strong even during the pandemic time.
“But even then, being confined into the room was not easy at all,” he said.
“In these four months, the BCB fixed some activities and sessions for us. Psychologically we should be in good condition. Personally I also did two or three sessions. All these helped me a lot,” he remarked.
But as a three-match Test series against Sri Lanka in scheduled for October-November, Tamim insisted that they should shed off the mental rust to prepare them well.
“As I said, these four months have not been easy. But we need to make sure that we get out of here as soon as possible and stay in a good mood. Because we have a big tour coming up. And I believe we have a good chance,” he concluded.BSS
