Shane Jurgensen has to be our best friend

Life has been very busy and hectic. As soon as the Shabagh movement commenced in February 5, I became a permanent participant there. I almost forgot cricket within this time. Hospital to Shahbagh and Shahbagh to hospital had been my routine. But cricket kept on moving amid my utter lack of attention. When I focused on cricket, I discovered that Cape Town had yo-yo sessions but Pakistan couldn’t hold a firm grip on the Test match, the West Indies digested a hefty 5-0 whitewash in the ODI series downunder, the Kiwis and English are presenting some entertaining cricket, the excitement is building up regarding the Border-Gavaskar trophy, Lanka’s new Test captain has been announced while in Bangladesh a new coach has been appointed.

For more than a month or so, Bangladesh cricket was engulfed by the chaos and confusion of Pakistan tour and participation of the Pakistani players in BPL. It was a very unpleasant experience for the cricket fans who wish to enjoy their Tigers’ progress rather than such ugly tussles. One of the most important subjects of Bangladesh cricket went missing amid this saga and it was about selecting the national team’s full-time coach.

Since the bizarre exit of Richard Pyubus, the Tigers remained without a full-time coach. They had played a major series against the West Indies without a full-time coach. Shane Jurgensen, the bowling coach, was made the interim coach. He proved pretty good as the Tigers came out as the winners in the ODI series if not in the Test series. The BCB was happy with Jurgensen but didn’t think about appointing him as the full-time coach. They kept on knocking at different doors but failed to meet the demands of those high profile customers.

With the Sri Lankan series approaching ahead, the appointment of a full-time coach became critical and for which the BCB deviated from the tradition of appointing high profile names. They gave Shane Jurgensen the responsibility as the full-time coach. A new journey to start for Jurgensen.

Previously, Shane Jurgensen had no experience of playing international cricket. A cricketing promise during the 90’s, Jurgensen played for Western Australia and Tasmania before winning a place at his home state Queensland. After a good stint in the first-class circuit, Jurgensen retired in 2006-07. Then, while being involved in the high performance program, he got involved with New Zealand cricket as their bowling coach between 2008 to 2010. After Ian Pont’s successful stint as the Tigers bowling coach, Jurgensen took over the responsibility in 2011.

Having involved with the Bangladesh cricket for the last two years, Jurgensen is well aware of how tough it is to coach in the subcontinent. Apart from dealing with the ugly critics,  unnecessary interference of the administrators is an irritation which at times crosses the limits. Dav Whatmore faced it, Jamie Siddeons dealt with it while Stuart Law left the scene before facing it. Maintaining a healthy balance between the routine works and such harassments and then moving on will be the toughest challenge for Jurgensen.

At a press conference Jurgensen highlighted that he wished to focus more on the bowling as our bowlers have to face the task of bowling long spells after a T20-diet against the best batsmen of the world. But he must not forget about our weakest link – batting. If the bowlers have to face a tougher task, than the batsmen would find it even tougher to adapt to the 5-day format after shifting from T20 cricket. Installing the right temperament in the batsmen’s mind should bear an equal importance to Jurgensen’s plan. He will have the assistance of Corey Richards, the fielding coach, who will also be the interim batting coach during the Sri Lankan tour.

By the way, the BCB has announced the preliminary squad for the Sri Lanka tour. Sense and sensibility have prevailed this time around. Good to see the selectors not going through emotions but giving the performance a bigger priority. The Test squad is supposed to be announced on February 22 or 23. Shane Jurgensen has an important role to play here. He should help the selectors in making an ideal 15 or 16-man Test squad.

Dav Whatmore gave the Tigers a better shape, Siddons made us play positive cricket, Stuart Law made the boys to play like a fighter and Jurgensen must make this Bangladesh side even better. Being appointed as the full-time coach of a Test side is certainly a highlight in Jurgensen’s short coaching career. But there are tiny battles, tiny issues which Jurgensen has to win.

More than a coach, Jurgensen has to embrace the culture and tradition of this land and get married with the joy and sorrow of the fans and critics. This is very important for every foreign coach who wish to coach the subcontinental teams. Any foreign coach, coaching the subcontinental teams must understand the emotional aspect of this region’s cricket.  Jurgensen will sit on a throne full of thorns. He has to conquer adversity. He has to be our best friend.

Thank You

Faisal Caesar