Stonier believes U19 champs will deliver again for Bangladesh ‘In Sha Allah’
Cricfrenzy
|| CF CORRESPONDENT ||
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In 2020, before Corona pandemic, Bangladesh Cricket celebrated their biggest achievement with Under-19 World Cup triumph. Apart from the players another man played a key role in that historic event, who was Bangladesh’s strength and conditioning coach Richard Stonier aka ‘Pagla Bhai’.
U19 World Cup Champions opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim, middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy and pacer Shoriful Islam have already made their mark in the ongoing ICC ODI World Cup in India against some biggest names of world cricket. Another pacer Tanzim Hasan Sakib is yet to make his debut in the extravaganza.
Stonier started working as a trainer in Bangladesh high performance unit in July 2018 and then he was appointed for U19 team and changed the attitude of the players drastically. He has a reputation for tidy work and friendly behavior, which helped these young boys to grow stronger on field.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has parted ways with Stonier last year but the latter, who is also very famous for his ‘Bangla Words’ in Bangladesh, is very proud of these young guns as he shared his views with Cricfrenzy.
“I'm very proud of all of the boys. I think they've come a considerably long way. I saw the hunger in their eyes, you know, many years ago, even back in 2019 at BKSP (Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan). You could see their quality, their desire, their fearlessness, their execution, their skill, quality, natural born fighters, I'd like to say. And that's why the dynamics, the team evolved around how well they played. It's so great to see them flourishing and performing for the country and doing their very best.” Stonier said.
PHOTO: In 2020, Shoriful Islam, Towhid Hriody, Tanzid Tamim, Tanzim Sakib along with Richard Stonier celebrated with U19 World Cup trophy
Shoriful has been a regular face along with Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman in Tigers’ pace attack as he has been very much impactful too in the ongoing World Cup so far, while Hridoy and Tanzid are still trying to find their rhythm.
However, Stonier believes these boys will flourish day by day and make Bangladesh proud again.
“Tamim-Sakib are still in the early days and Hridoy has been absolutely superb. Shoriful, I'm so proud of that boy, how far he's come from his hometown, it's great to see. At the end of the day, we should all be very proud. They're only going to get better. They're flourishing, they're growing up. They've got some brilliant coaching staff around them to help make them more mature, more rounded, and they're just going to grow day by day. The more cricket they play, they're just going to flourish and get better and better. And be ‘dhorjo’ and Tamim will In Sha Allah score some big runs in the next game. Shoriful will keep being Shoriful, hungry, aggressive, mature, fearless, and make the country proud again.”
The young Tigers have defeated strong India by three wickets (D/L method) to clinch the World title and on Thursday (19th October) Shoriful-Hridoy’s Bangladesh will face the Indian legends like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma with an aim to bounce back into the winning way after losing against England and New Zealand. The Tigers won their first game against Afghanistan.
Stonier, who was in the dugout back in 2020, will be sitting home and rooting for his students against India.
“That'll be an easy one for me. I'll be sat at home and I'll be watching. I'll be a little bit anxious for the boys. I want to make sure that I'd really and they will be that fire, that hunger. These aren't boys anymore. They're men. And they're justified in their selection. And if they play and it's not just about these three boys, it's about the 15 on the day and the coaching staff and the management and the people back home and the supporters. So when they walk on the pitch and you look in their eyes, I'm sure everybody will get their answers and we should all be very proud. Competing one of the best teams in the world, and it's going to be an honor and a privilege for them. And I'm sure they're just going to go out there and give 150%,”
“The most enjoyable thing is that their family, their friends, their coaching staff from back home will be proud to see them living their dream and I think the most important thing is that get together, support all 15 boys and again on the coaching staff and the management, and they all play a significant role. I know who throws thousands and thousands of balls to these boys and to make sure that they're ready. So it's going to proud day for all of them. I'm sure I wish you all the very best on Thursday. And I'll be watching at home in the UK and supporting Team Bangladesh.” Stonier added.
The famous ‘Pagla Bhai’ instilled a fighting spirit into those boys and now advised them to be fearless and selfless against the best players around the world in one of the most major and prestigious tournament.
“The advice would be simple from my side is play fearless, be selfless. You know, that that never give up attitude and keep fighting and battle and high energy and high intensity and believe in their ability because at the end of the day, these boys are highly skilled individuals. Throughout the dynamics of cricket, the game is getting faster and faster. These boys are competing with some of the best players around the world in one of the most major and prestigious tournament,”
“The most important thing is their quality is there. I'm sure their coaching staff have given them everything they can do to be ready and just go out there and be free and enjoy the moment. That's what we said many times. We love the game of cricket. Cricket is a beautiful game. We all need to be a little bit patient and sometimes you just have to believe in your ability. But just enjoy the moment, embrace it. I mean, the world stage a world cup in front of millions around the world and I'm sure there are many millions of Bangladeshis all around the world that are supporting them every step of their journey. And I believe In Sha Allah they will come good and it if we all believe and then they believe and we've just got to install loads of positivity and let them enjoy the moment and they will come good. But just enjoy it. Enjoy the ride.” Stonier concluded.
