‘Mashrafe bhai motivates while Shakib shares experience’

Imrul Kayes talks about how Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan help the team.

Bangladesh stepped onto the new year under a new Test captain and without a head coach for the upcoming tri-nation series.

Along with Technical director Khaled Mahmud, Bangladesh have assistant coach Richard Halsall and spin coach Sunil Joshi. Courtney Walsh also joined Tigers' practice session today. In the absence of a head coach however, there will be more responsibility on the senior players in the side and Imrul Kayes says that ODI captain Masharafe Bin Mortaza and Test and T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan can help with the development of upcoming cricketers and Bangladesh cricket overall.

The two captains have had significant impact on improving the overall mentality of Bangladesh cricket and Imrul talked about their captaincy roles.

"Mahsrafe bhai always looks to motivate the players through inspiring words. As a leader, he is the best. Whether someone is doing well or not, he [Mashrafe] is always there to support.

Test and T20 captain Shakib had experience playing in numerous T20 leagues around the world and Imrul insisted that Shakib's experience is handy for the team.

"Shakib is very experienced. He shares his experience of playing abroad and discusses how things can be done better. I think that [their contribution] is very important for players coming up through the ranks and also for the development of Bangladesh cricket," Imrul said.

The left-hander also suggested that the team is very comfortable working with Khaled Mahmud Sujon.

"Sujon bhai has been with the team for a long time. He treats everyone the same way. I have been learning from him since my days at the academy. In this scenario one can say that he has been a guide to us and we will try to use that to our advantage.