The Bangladesh national cricket team recently utilized the newly installed tracks at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS) for a fitness drill ahead of their upcoming home series against Zimbabwe next month.
This marks the first time in 19 years that the BNS has been used for cricketing activities at the national level since the country’s cricket operations moved to the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in 2005.
Around 35 cricketers, including those in and around the national squad, participated in the fitness drill, supervised by national team strength & conditioning coach Nathan Kiely.
The training session began at 6:00am and lasted until 7:30am. Players completed four laps of running on the newly installed 400m track before engaging in a 40m sprint. Subsequently, they returned to the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur for the remainder of their training.
Divided into two groups, the cricketers underwent a 1600m running drill, with young pacers Nahid Rana and Tanzim Hasan Sakib finishing first in their respective groups.
This fitness drill was conducted in preparation for the Tigers’ busy schedule ahead, which includes hosting Zimbabwe for five T20Is in May, followed by a series of eight Tests, three ODIs, and at least 18 T20Is over the next seven months.
BCB official Iftikharul Islam emphasized that the fitness test was aimed at assessing the players’ condition without the concept of passing or failing.
Explaining the choice of the athletics track at BNS, Iftikharul stated that it allowed for precise timing, particularly for the 1600m time trial method employed during the drill. Additionally, the players found the experience refreshing and engaging, offering a new dimension to their training regimen.