One day Sadman Islam, another day Muminul Haq. Jamie Siddons has someone coming to his net almost every day. Working on batting for a long time
. And this Australian coach is also enjoying spending time working with the cricketers. Returning to Bangladesh cricket in the second term, Siddons wanted to work outside the scope of the national team from the beginning. But that was no longer happening due to the busyness of the national team.
Siddons is finally getting that chance. He has been officially given the responsibility of batting coach of Bangladesh ‘A’ team and Bangladesh Tigers. Siddons promises that Shakib-Mushfiq will produce quality cricketers in two years in the new role. In an interview given to Prothom Alo today, he said, ‘It will take time. If I stay in this position for two years, then maybe you will get a cricketer of the quality of Shakib or Mushi.
In a recent article, Mirpur shared an insightful experience from his net session with Muminul at the academy ground of Sherebangla Stadium. During their practice, they focused on a specific shot, acknowledging that it might take several months before it could be effectively utilized in actual matches. Just talking about one shot though. Muminul does not have a pool shot. We haven’t been to the pool shot yet. It may take about 12 months to use these skills in matches.
From 2007 to 2011, Siddons served as the head coach of the Bangladesh team.
During that period, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, and Mushfiqur Rahim made significant strides in their respective careers, leaving a lasting impact. Today, this experienced coach gave the example of his old student Mushfiq regarding the ability to play all kinds of shots, ‘If you can gradually reduce all the weaknesses of the boys, they will become good cricketers. Mushi (Mushfiq) can play all the shots. Mastering the art of stopping him in his tracks becomes quite the challenge once he finds his groove. Others must comprehend and communicate this essence as well. One must possess the ability to execute all manner of shots to succeed.
The duration necessary to foster the skill development of cricketers cannot be accommodated within the confines of national team practice sessions. The primary focus during these sessions is on match preparation, leaving limited time for extensive practice. Consequently, the two-hour session I spent with Muminul today is unfeasible within the national team setup due to their demanding travel schedule. Moreover, attempting to alter one’s playing style during a match or series is nearly impossible. The net sessions of the national team often involve a flurry of balls flying back and forth, with players swiftly transitioning from one net to another. In essence, it falls short of being an adequate coaching environment.
I can teach Muminul the backlift here. Working on sweep shots, and pull shots. I would love to apply this learning to Test cricket. This is the real coaching.
