Ruwan keeps cards close to his chest
The camp for the South Africa series might not have started as yet, but the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur was already abuzz with cricketers yesterday.
On one hand, a few members from the High Performance unit were doing their drills, while on the other, the likes of Mahmudullah Riyad, Nasir Hossain and Arafat Sunny were busy following their respective schedules. While Riyad was working as per his rehabilitation programme, the likes of Nasir and Arafat were training under the watchful eyes of Ruwan Kalpage, Bangladesh's spin coach.
While the Tigers did employ four pacers against India in the ODIs, both captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, in the last few weeks indicated that the hosts may use a different strategy for the upcoming series against South Africa.
It therefore wasn't a surprise when Kalpage was repeatedly hit with questions yesterday regarding Bangladesh's strategy against South Africa. Expectedly so, the Sri Lankan wasn't too keen on answering those questions.
"I don't want to make any comments on what we are going to do tactically. We want to keep it a secret. We have just started training with our spinners. We have got Arafat and Nasir here to train and improve on some of their basic areas," said Kalpage.
"These South African players have played in the IPL and have played on subcontinent tracks that turn a lot. They have got used to that. We can't underestimate them. They are aggressive players and we have a plan for them. We won't just go after them with spin," he added.
Apart from Arafat and Nasir, spinner Taijul Islam and Jubair Hossain also began their training sessions in Mirpur. Leg-spinner Jubair, who was drafted in the squad for the third ODI against India following Taskin Ahmed's injury, hopes he can get a shot at the Proteas.
"My aim is to bowl in the right areas and if I do so then I can confuse any player of the world. I'll try this in the series if I get a chance," said Jubair.
"We are watching different players' action on Youtube. We will also see more videos when practice begins. Thereafter, the team management will formulate a comprehensive game plan for them," he added.
The Tigers will play a practice match against the HP unit in Mirpur tomorrow in a bid to kick start their preparations for the South Africa series.
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