Bangladesh national team spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed will join the Bangladesh Under-19 side’s preparation camp in Sylhet.
The decision comes after he completed a three-day spin-bowling camp for the country’s emerging spinners in Mirpur, a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) source confirmed to TIMES on Thursday.
Mushtaq has been working with 15-16 spinners from the Under-17, Under-19, Under-23 and High Performance (HP) teams during the camp at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
The camp features left-arm spinners, leg-spinners and off-spinners with Shadhin Islam, Rakibul Hasan, Aminul Islam Biplob, Mohammad Rubel and Nuhayel Sandid among the participants.
After completing his work in Dhaka, Mushtaq will travel to Sylhet to work specifically with the Under-19 spinners during their 14-day preparation camp, which begins on September 21.
“It is confirmed that he will join the camp in Sylhet. However, I do not have any confirmed information regarding when he will travel there,” the source said.
The Bangladesh U-19 side are scheduled to remain in Sylhet until October 4 before travelling to Oman on October 10 for a five-match Youth ODI series against Afghanistan and the U-19 Asia Cup.
The Sylhet camp will give Mushtaq an opportunity to take his work with the country’s spin-bowling pipeline into the age-group setup. During the Mirpur camp, the spinners underwent biomechanical assessments to build individual technical profiles, which Mushtaq can now use as a basis for further work with the younger players.
His involvement with the U-19 side also comes as Bangladesh’s senior team are in Japan for the Asian Games, with the BCB opting to utilise the experienced spin consultant in the development programme rather than sending him with the national side.
Mushtaq said after the three-day camp on Thursday that such specialised programmes should be held regularly to ensure young spinners receive continuous technical and tactical guidance.
“The spinners in Bangladesh’s cricket structure have always been very good. That is why I think these kinds of camps should be held regularly. They should be organised every three months. That would benefit them a lot,” Mushtaq told reporters.
The former Pakistan spinner also stressed that regular camps could help develop the country’s local coaches alongside the players, making the knowledge gained from specialist sessions more sustainable within the domestic system.
“Not only the spinners, but the local spin-bowling coaches will also improve. They will understand how to work on the basics, as well as the technical and tactical aspects,” he said.
