Jimmy & Midge in Tigers' nets!
Bangladesh newbies Sabbir Rahman and Soumya Sarkar got the opportunity to bat against the dangerous James Anderson and the ever threatening Mitchell Johnson in the nets yesterday. They faced the bowlers for hours and, despite a few blows to the body, managed to decipher them quite well in the end.
Sounds odd, doesn't it? Why would international teams lend their best bowlers to the Tigers days before the start of the biggest cricketing extravaganza? Did they just happen to pass by the Allan Border Ground at Brisbane, where the Tigers were training, and decide to have a go at them?
A minute later, team manager Khaled Mahmud decided to end the suspense and clearly explain his initial statement.
"Sabbir, Soumya and Nasir Hossain used simulation technology during training to face Johnson and Anderson. They batted for hours and I think they looked pretty satisfied," Mahmud told The Daily Star over phone.
In the last few days, the Tigers have been using this simulation technology. The machine not only projects the virtual image of the bowler but also follows the bowler's natural bowling speed, style and variations.
Apart from the all-rounders, opener Tamim Iqbal also batted yesterday. The left-hander batted in the nets for the first time since reaching Brisbane and, according to Mahmud, the player is recovering 'faster than expected'.
"Tamim trained hard today. He looked good. Apart from batting, he worked out in the gym and also performed a few running exercises. There was no problem. He seems to be ahead of his recovery schedule," said Mahmud.
Prior to Tamim's departure, the left-hander, who had an operation on his left knee, told the media that while his batting wasn't a problem, he was still unsure regarding his sprints. Prior to the surgery, Tamim felt a nagging pain in his left leg while sprinting and as a result, the player had described his sprinting exercises as the main obstacle to his recovery. The players will take a day off today to enjoy themselves, with a trip to a local go-karting track planned.
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