When Jamie Siddons was the head coach, players like Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim were only starting their international careers. After leaving his position as head coach in 2011, Siddons returned to the Tigers’ dugout as batting coach.
The Australian has discussed his and the team’s objectives for the older stars who are nearing the end of their careers.
Shakib and Mushfiqur are both 35, while Tamim is 33. Siddons stated that his goal was for the seniors to finish their careers on a positive note.
“For the senior players, while I am here now, my aim is to make it the best three years of their careers. If this is going to be the last three years or four years, it’s to be their best, not a downward slide. So we're making adjustments and have all agreed to work harder, not less as senior players and that's what we're aiming to do with those senior players,” Siddons said while talking to the broadcasters before the third day's play of the second Test between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Siddons stated that the performance or attitude of the players has not altered much since his last visit, and that the older players in Bangladesh cricket are still the best of the bunch, naming Liton Das as someone who is swiftly coming into the senior role.
“To be honest, I haven't seen massive changes in the performance or the attitude of the players apart from the fact that they are a lot more professional now. I think our senior players are still our best players apart from maybe Liton, who is a middle-of-the-road senior player now and have played a lot of Test match cricket. I think the biggest change is that there are some fantastic fast bowlers now in Bangladesh cricket and that should make us a much stronger team,” he said.
When it comes to preparations, Mushfiqur is one of the batters that sticks to a pattern. Mushfiqur was able to be more compact than he has ever been in his 175 not out in Dhaka. Mushfiqur made several tweaks, according to Siddons.
“Mushfiq is a fantastic player and doesn't need too much to turn it around. We made a few adjustments to what he does in preparation and what he needed to do in game with his feet. It seems to have been enough. He batted beautifully at Chittagong and I think this one is one of his best hundred. He's confident again now and unstoppable,” Siddons said.
