Going through difficult times
That Shane Jurgensen's resignation has jolted the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and that the board is drastically trying to bring things back in order, could be best understood from the national players' decision to remain almost mum on the issue.
Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim, during a signing ceremony at a local hotel yesterday, told reporters that the board had asked the players to strictly refrain from commenting on Jurgensen's resignation.
Going by the board's instructions, Mushfiqur, despite a barrage of questions on the issue, did not share his opinion on the coach's sudden departure. He did however state that that his teammates should face the 'challenging times' in high spirits.
“There can be plenty said on this issue, but I have been advised by the board not to comment on it. He (Jurgensen) is coming tomorrow (Wednesday) and I will talk to him personally. We will wait till the (BCB) president (Nazmul Hassan Papon) arrives and takes a decision on the matter. I hope he (Jurgensen) will change his mind,” said Mushfiqur.
“We are going through difficult times. When bad times come they come from all angles. But as players we need to hold on to the spirit that we showed for the last two years, no matter what happens. It will no doubt be challenging and difficult to accept this, but nothing in life comes smoothly, so no matter what happens we have to hope for the best,” he added.
A majority of the other national players also decided against speaking on the issue. A number of them, however, recalled the Australian for his good values.
Pacer Robiul Islam, who essentially restarted his international career last year, was virtually handpicked by Jurgensen. Robiul had not got a team in the Bangladesh Premier League T20 and Jurgensen made him bowl in an empty net at the Academy for an entire month. The camp ended up doing wonders for Robiul, who bowled magical spells in the Zimbabwe Tests later that year.
“I'll remember him for that camp. It brought me back to international cricket and helped me a lot. A lot of things changed after that. I played in Sri Lanka and then in Zimbabwe and was among the wickets,” recalled Robiul.
Al-Amin Hossain's sudden burst into the top ranks was also was also a result of the Australian's persistence and he too echoed Robiul's sentiments.
“I am lucky to get him as my first coach. He always managed to keep the pressure down no matter how wayward you were bowling. I will also remember the fact that he gave me my first Test cap,” said Al-Amin.
Spinner Shohag Gazi may not have benefited directly, skill-wise, from the Australian but he too believed that the team would miss him.
“The thing that I like most about him is that he is a very good human being. He always managed to create a good environment in the dressing room no matter what. I will definitely miss him,” said Gazi.
On Monday morning Jurgensen had sent an e-mail to the BCB stating his decision to resign. The Australian cited comments made by certain board members to the media regarding the need for a new coach as the main reason to step down.
The BCB on their part had said that they had no intention of replacing the head coach. They are yet to accept his resignation and await his arrival to clearly discuss the matter.
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