|| CF Correspondent ||
Hardly women cricketers in Bangladesh get chance to play enough matches. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, everything has been stopped now. But this year women cricket were supposed to get more chances to play.
Women cricketers had long scheduled calendar for them this year. Rumana- Jahanara just arrived from Australia after playing the Twenty20 World Cup there. They were supposed to play the National League on 27 March and then Premier League. In July they were meant to travel Sri Lanka to play qualifying round for the upcoming One-day World Cup. And then the Asia cup Twenty20 in September, which will be hosted by Bangladesh this year.
After the failure in the T20 World Cup, this was the chance for them to make a turn around from the experience they had. But now like everyone, women cricketers are also counting their days in fear of coronavirus.
Meanwhile some of them are doing running and gym to be fit. Sunday (22 March) morning all rounder Jahanara Alam went to Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium to do her fitness workout.
Despite being into fear of corona situation, she tried to be as much as careful to do her fitness workout.
"Not doing any training. Just doing running and gym in the morning. If I'm not fit, then I will be alright for one week but the next week I'll be left behind. If I don't do running or gym then the muscle tolerance will decrease."
Jahana is trying to make her fit in the believe that everything going to be alright soon. But she is having confusion about the uncertainty,
"We hardly have enough matches to play. Experience of playing with big team is also little. Due to coronavirus qualifying round of World Cup could be delayed. Don't know when it will be happen."
Another all rounder of women cricket team Rumana Ahmed is also seemed to be in lack of certainty. She is trying to be fit in this situation.
"It's important to make yourself and your family to be safe. I'm staying home at the moment. Just doing morning walk and gym. The whole thing is shocking. People are dieng, getting affected. Watching this making me mentally weak. But players can't sit idle, they have to be moving."
Bangladesh women cricket had a drastic performance in the last Twenty20 World Cup in Australia. Where they lost their all four matches in the group round. Jahanara and Rumana were accused to be not performing well in that tournament. The top two all rounder of the team coudn't delivery much for the team.
Though they took the responsibility on first hand, but they also pointed out their finger towards the preparation of Bangladesh team before the tournament.
Rumana said, "The way World Cup preparation were meant to be, didn't happened like that way. It was more like the preparation of qualifying round. Preparation for World Cup is different. If you don't play against big team, then how you are supposed to know how to control the temperament in big match."
Bangladesh got their first match in Australia for the World Cup. Before this they haven't been there. How to field, bowl or bat in that condition nobody knew before. For this reason the women team were send their two weeks before the tournament.
For this Jahanara said, "To cope up with the condition we get into Australia early but it goes into vain."
Rumana-Jahanara are eyeing for the qualifying round of ODI World Cup in July. They are hoping to bring back their form through this tournament.