The last few months haven’t been easy: Tamim

Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal had yesterday returned to training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for the first time following the break imposed by coronavirus pandemic. The left hander's return to practice would help both bring the team and the fans the positive vibe to get their mojo back and overcome the difficult times.

Many of the national players had already begun individual training sessions at (Bangladesh Cricket Board) BCB's facilities across the country but Tamim, who had been suffering from a stomach pain, missed out on such training as he went to England for checkups. Those problems were behind him now with the test results so far revealing nothing significant. As a sportsperson, being in lockdown and not being able to train was frustrating and the left-hander said that there was focus on the mental side of things.

"In the last four months, BCB had also set some sessions so that we are in a good mental health. I have done two or three sessions and obviously it helped," Tamim said in a media release.

Bangladesh tour Sri Lanka in late September and preparations are about to go into full swing. Tamim said they have to get back into the mental groove of cricket, reiterating that being under lockdown was not 'normal'.

"The four months weren't easy but we have to make sure that we get out of that and get into a good mental state because we have a big tour ahead of us. I believe we have a good chance in the series.

"The last few months were very difficult. Maybe we were with our families but we were under some mental pressure. We couldn't go outside. It wasn't normal. Normally, after a tour we could have a vacation of seven or eight days and we can move around. The four months were different since everyone was anxious their family's health. It was difficult but finally we can return to what we enjoy best and that is to play sports."

Tamim knows that the team has to adjust to the new normal very quickly indeed. Bangladesh have a month to train at home before heading to Sri Lanka where the coronavirus situation is considerably better. Tamim said that he was satisfied with the rules being put in place to start training while also stating that his fitness and batting practice was not so bad after the long break.

"Started practice after almost four or five months and surprisingly I wasn't as rusty as I expected to be during batting practice. I think I'm doing ok in batting. Fitness is alright but having only worked inside the house using treadmills and other activities, I feel that it would take a few weeks to adjust to running outside in the sun. I think the way we are going about this, maintaining strict rules, is a very positive thing. Since we now know the date of our return to cricket, we are training accordingly for the Test matches to come."