Shane Jurgensen was a relieved man after his charges had finally registered a win on Wednesday, let that be against a weaker opponent like UAE in a warm-up game. Since his appointment as Bangladesh national team head coach in February 2013, the Australian passed a year that mostly fetched him praise as a coach.
However, things changed drastically in 2014 as the Tigers went on to lose seven ODIs along with two Twenty20s and a Test.
“Definitely, it’s (the World Twenty20) a big challenge. The expectation is huge as it’s at home. Every game has been important to me and this is also a very importanttournament,” said Jurgensen to the Dhaka Tribune.
Jurgensen was appointed as the Tigers bowling coach in October 2011 after working as a bowling coach for New Zealand from 2008 to 2010. When then main coach of Bangladesh Richard Pybus left the team in October 2012, Jurgensen was appointed as the interim head coach and within a month, he provided results that were expected from a coach. On his first assignment, Bangladesh beat the West Indies 3-2 in an ODI series.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board showed faith in him by handing him his first job as a national coach and he too repaid the gesture in some style. He guided Bangladesh to a very fruitful 2013 in all three formats. Under his guidance, Bangladesh drew a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka before they white washed New Zealand 3-0 at home in October 2013.
When a team does well, the captain and coach are hailed as great leaders but when the tables turn, they become the center of controversy. A coach can plan and strategize, but if his players don’t deliver on the field, he will lose nonetheless. On the other hand, poorly led sides can record great triumphs if one exceptional player produces sufficient brilliance.
However, the World T20 is a huge event and injecting the proper mindset in the devastated players will be a big hurdle for the head coach. This transit period is a big testing time for the team itself while for Jurgensen, it is the biggest hurdle in his professional coaching career.
The 37-year-old was quoted in ESPNcricinfo before their Asia Cup match against Afghanistan as saying, “All I have asked the players is to step up for their country. We have had one-day success in the last 18 months and that was because everyone stepped up. I have asked nothing more than that.” However, that didn’t work for the Australian and now he faces a tough ask of bringing life into his troop.
The goal and the asking is still the same from Jurgensen, but he did talk about changing the style of achieving that goal. “We are practicing two sessions a day and we also modified our session which is compatible for each player. The players are giving 100% in the practice and that’s what I and Mushy (Mushfiqur Rahim) are all asking for.
“We have lost all matches this year, but most of them were very close and the results could have easily come our way,” he added.
He also said the players returned for World T20 practice following a two-day rest after the Asia Cup, that also helped the players concentrate more on the coveted tournament.
The win over UAE was a good way to start things fresh, said Jurgensen, adding that the morale is also getting back in the players.
Jurgensen has been a cricketer himself who moved to a different part of his country for a concrete playing placein the XI. The right-handedfast bowler in his career played for Western Australia and Tasmania before winning a place at his home state Queensland. His journey from one place to another clearly suggests his passion and dedication towards the game and perhaps he is the perfect man at the moment to motivate his troubled boys out of the shell.