Published on 12:00 AM, August 11, 2021

A brief window to sate yearning for loved ones

Bangladesh T20I skipper Mahmudullah Riyad on Monday reached home to a lovely surprise from his son -- a drawing and a message that read ‘welcome home’. It has been over three months -- with just a few visits in between -- that the Tigers have been away from their families, fulfilling their duties for the national team. Despite being away from their loved ones, the Tigers have not been timid, portraying mental steadiness while maintaining strict Covid protocols and quarantine as they completed two back-to-back successful series -- a series sweep across formats away to Zimbabwe last month and their first-ever bilateral series win against Australia. PHOTO: FACEBOOK
Nabid Yeasin

"Bhai, do it quickly. Take the wicket so that we can go back home after such a long time away." Those were the words the stump mic picked up wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan Sohan saying to Shakib Al Hasan in the 14th over of Bangladesh's fifth and final T20I against Australia in Mirpur on Monday.

Shakib duly obliged, scalping the final Aussie wicket of Adam Zampa to wrap up Bangladesh's five-match T20I series with an astounding 60-run thumping of Australia, finally allowing the 'hosts' to reunite with their loved ones.

Nurul's urgency for home comforts cannot be downplayed as it has been a long time since the cricketers have had a respite.  The harsh realities of the Covid-19 pandemic forced the cricketers to leave one bio-secure bubble only to enter another, compelling them to stay away from their families even when living in the same city.

Prior to the series against Australia was a tour of Zimbabwe for a full series, starting from July 7. But instead of going back home after returning from Harare on July 29, the Tigers entered a bio-secure bubble at the Hotel InterContinental straight from the airport for the Australia series.

However, in spite of all the obstacles, Nurul said the cricketers had one objective in mind and never strayed from it.

"When we went to Zimbabwe, we knew it would be a long tour. We had been talking about the Australia series even when we were in Zimbabwe. We were mentally prepared to focus on the Zimbabwe series and give our best in the series against Australia as well," Nurul said.

"We had to stay at the hotel [to quarantine] even after arriving in Dhaka from Harare. But we had that mental preparation and we had one objective -- to stay focused till we complete the mission. That's what happened and we were very lucky that we played well," he added, also mentioning that his family had been enduring a bit of a crisis due to his wife's being unwell and that he was relieved to finally be back home.

Even before the month-long tour of Zimbabwe, the cricketers had been engaged in the Bangabandhu Dhaka Premier League, for which they had to quarantine for about a month. Prior to that, touring Sri Lanka for two Tests followed by the Lankans' visit for three ODIs kept the Tigers busy and away from their loved ones.

With the stress of maintaining health protocols and undergoing numerous Covid tests, the Tigers had to soldier through long stretches of time away from family with just a few visits in between and their yearning to return home was not only understandable but natural.

With that said, Bangladesh's future assignment is already set. Mahmudullah Riyad's men are scheduled to host New Zealand for a five-match T20I series from September 1 to 10. For that, according to what the Bangladesh Cricket Board informed, the Tigers will start individual practice from August 15. The BCB also mentioned it was contemplating putting players in quarantine for the series from August 24, the same day the Kiwis are set to arrive in Dhaka.

The Tigers may now be deservedly enjoying a brief period away from cricket, but they certainly know what they need to do when they resume. At least Shakib, according to Nurul, made sure during his speech in the dressing room after Australia series win that the Tigers understand the need to 'keep up this momentum' when they face New Zealand next month.

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