Mal Loye, head coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s High Performance squad, expressed satisfaction with the work of his charges following the conclusion of the four-month programme.
The HP programme was initiated by cricket’s governing body in the country last June with the involvement of some national cricketers, including Sabbir Rahman, Mohammad Mithun, Jubair Hossain and Mustafizur Rahman.
“The effort from the players has been first-class throughout the four months. I am very pleased with the progress of the players in the camp. I am a little sad that we didn’t see them play towards the end. We had a change of play to go to Bogra but unfortunately the conditions and ground wasn’t right. We had to close the programme slightly early. But generally, I am happy with the players,” Loye told the media yesterday.
The programme came to an end a week before schedule due to inclement weather and the entire HP squad returned to Dhaka last Monday.
Former English cricketer Loye hoped that his charges would reap the benefit of their hard work in the upcoming National Cricket League 2015-16 season, scheduled to get underway on September 17 and end on November 8 this year.
“We had a programme in place to cover everything, whether it is Twenty20, ODIs and Tests. The programme included playing in all conditions. It was an easy job for me, if I am being honest. Their efforts were outstanding,” said Loye before adding, “In this NCL coming up, hopefully we will see the fruits of our work.”
The 42-year old Loye had earlier signed a two-year contract with the BCB last May. He will now head home and is expected to return to Dhaka next year for a new programme with a fresh set of cricketers.
The recent HP programme of the BCB was the first in eight years. During this time, the programme was closed suddenly and replaced later by the National Cricket League.