Bangladesh ‘A’ team batting consultant Jamie Siddons promised to assist his cahrges wholeheartedly to overcome their errors prior to their call-up to the national set-up.
Siddons, who joined the Bangladesh Cricket Board in February, 2022 for his second spell as a batting consultant for the Bangladesh national cricket team, stepped down from the role on May 1, citing that from that point forward he would be working with the age group rather than the senior team.
‘I want to make sure they don’t have major deficiencies before they get selected. To make sure they aren’t easy to bowl to, when they are at the international level,’ said Siddons on Monday in Sylhet.
‘I can make batsmen better; just underneath the national team is where they need some help. This group of players will be the next ones on the national team,’ he added.
Despite retiring from his early position, the veteran Australian acknowledged that he loves working with the senior team, reiterating that helping his charges overcome their flaws in batting always comes to him first.
‘Let’s get the facts right. I didn’t say I didn’t want to work with the national team. I love working with the national team. I don’t care where I work.’
However, he couldn't make a shining start with his initial assignment as the Afif Hossain-led Bangladesh ‘A’ were finished with a draw against the touring West Indies ‘A’ with their highest 95 coming from Saif Hasan in the opener of three four-day games at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
The 59-year-old believed that all it happened was that his charges just came from the white ball cricket in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League that provoked them to play too many shots.
‘I think it looked to me like a lot of players coming together after playing a lot of white-ball cricket. May be too many shots.’
‘Pace bowlers made them play a lot of forward defense, which is a key to red-ball cricket. Batters played too many shots too early in their innings. Not leaving or defending enough balls.’
He further asserted that he would like to see his charges stay in the crease at least for six hours and also hinted at a few changes in the next game today at the same venue.
‘I want to see batsmen bat for six hours. I don’t want to see quickfire thirties and flashy twenties. We want to see batters knock the bails off at the end of the day, and be ready to bat the next day. That’s what four day cricket is all about.’
'We have 15 players. We want to look at all the players. There will be quite a few changes.'
