Bangladesh players’ mindset has changed, says trainer

Bangladesh cricketers have been training by themselves at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium at the end of the Eid holidays.

The ‘battle’ for fitness, however, began on Monday as the fitness camp got under way ahead of the new season.

The beep test was held on the first day, which helped figure out the fitness level of the cricketers. 

The Tigers’ strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan said the players would be assessed individually.

“We are holding a fitness camp after quite a long time. We have been in domestic and international games for the last eight months,” the Sri Lankan trainer said.

“This is a good opportunity for me to figure out the conditions of the players separately. Those who are lacking in specific areas, I want to work on that for the next three to six weeks.”

Villavarayan, who has always been keen to help the players stay spirited through the tedious process of fitness training, has noticed a clear shift in attitude among the players.

“There has been a big change in their mindset. This change in attitude is very clear. They want to do something more now, want to work harder,” he said.

“Now they train by themselves which did not happen before. They have playing continuously for the last 8-10 months and staying fit was possible because they are enjoying being fit.”

Bangladesh will take on Australia at home next month before they tour South Africa at the end of September.

A 29-man squad for the conditioning camp was announced on Jun 22 with eyes on the two upcoming series.

Among them, Tamim Iqbal is in England at the moment for his stint with Essex while Rubel Hossain is recovering from a surgery. Several others are in Australia with the high-performance team.