National cricket team coach Shane Jurgensen praised star opener Tamim Iqbal for his work on his fitness at the start of the Tigers’ training camp ahead of their home series against Sri Lanka beginning in January. ‘Tamim was very impressive today, very good,’ Jurgensen said at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday. ‘He did, I think, a personal best.‘He’s been working extremely hard behind closed doors; no one would know about it. He’s worked extremely hard the last few weeks.’
Tamim had missed the final ODI and the T20 International during Bangladesh’s home series against New Zealand in November due to an abdominal injury, and his return to fitness is a welcome development for Jurgensen.
‘He’s just basically in the last part of his rehab. He did really well today, so it’s a great sign for us.’
Jurgensen’s enthusiasm also extended to other members of the squad.
‘[I’m] very happy with the fitness level of the guys; it hasn’t dropped too much at all. I think in some players it’s actually better, which is fantastic news.’
Jurgensen was also looking forward to the Bangladesh T20 Challenge Series, which begins on Wednesday and pits the national side against the Bangladesh A team in three T20s at Mirpur.
‘In terms of the cricket side of things it’s an opportunity for us to have the national team have three T20 games [with a] fully fit team,’ said Jurgensen, whose team continues to struggle in the 20-over game.
The Tigers seldom have the chance to work on the T20 format outside of the occasional one-off match at the end of a series, a fact the coach alluded to on Monday.
‘We’re not playing a T20 game at the end of a series [this week]; it’s actually a fresh opportunity to trial and work on our T20 game.’
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