A well-deserved break
"Holiday means holiday. I won't be on official duty for the next few weeks," had quipped Bangladesh Test captain Mushfiqur Rahim on Monday while leaving the media room in the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur after attending his last press conference of a very long season.
Mushfiqur isn't expected to face the cameras for at least a month; not before the build-up for the Australia series, due to take place in October, begins.
Coming from Mushfiqur, the joyous statement sounded a bit odd. He is after all known to be a workaholic; almost as though he feeds on the countless number of hours spent in numerous net sessions.
But when you look back at Bangladesh's hectic schedule in the last eight months or so, you would realise that Mushfiqur was only human.
The end of the South Africa series has given the players their longest break this year. They will be off till the end of this month after which they will undergo a fitness camp, which will be followed by their skills camp for a two-Test series against Australia.
The three-week break that they are going to get will be their longest since they began their preparations for the World Cup in Brisbane this year.
The Tigers played their last World Cup match against India on March 19 and barely a week after that the players began hitting the gym in Mirpur in a bid to get ready for the Pakistan series. The Pakistan series, which began on April 17, ended on May 9. A few off-days later came Virat Kohli and company and the first Test at Fatullah began on June 10.
The gap between the India and the South Africa series was barely a week and the players had to immediately join the camp towards the beginning of July.
And so, it won't exactly be a crime if the Tigers decide to stay completely away from cricket for the next few weeks, for it has been a rollercoaster ride for them; a successful one at that.
The instruction of the team management to its players would be simple: 'go home, spend time with your families and enjoy as much as you can for you have deserved the break.'
And enjoy they should, because when they return the intensity is expected to increase two-folds; after all it's the mighty Australians they will be looking to hunt this October.
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