Training will help team cope with pressure - Ashraful

Mohammad Ashraful believes that the training the Bangladesh team underwent at the Bangladesh Army's School of Infantry and Tactics in Sylhet will help the team toughen up to adjust with the pressures of international cricket.

"Each and every player in the camp firmly believes that this hard training will make them tough both mentally and physically," Ashraful was quoted as saying in the newspaper Daily Star. "Honestly speaking initially we were a bit shaky with a kind of training we had never attended before but ultimately we started to enjoy everything about the new adventure. Definitely we would have missed something if we had not taken part in this kind of training."

Ashraful also said that the team enjoyed the session on self-criticism and counselling. "It's really an amazing experience the way we talked openly in this [self-criticism and counselling] session. I must say it is the best part of this training. We have had discussion in our team meetings but never spoke as openly as we did in this session.

"We criticised each other. Everybody sometimes admitted their faults or defended their position. It's really a fantastic experience for us."

Major SM Asheq, officer in charge at the centre, said the players responded well to the training. "It's totally a new experience for the cricketers but still they responded brilliantly. It was nice to see the way they communicated with us. I think it will be helpful for them."