Jamie Siddons teaches cricket techniques online

Anamul Haque, also known as Bijoy, is practicing on his rooftop while Soumya Sarkar is stretching at his home. Tamim Iqbal is running on a treadmill and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is spending his time playing carom with his son.

The spread of coronavirus has confined the cricketers to their homes, but they are eagerly waiting for normalcy to be restored. Anamul is probably dreaming of playing some good innings when the Premier League resumes while the T20 World Cup might be on Tamim and Soumya's thoughts.

The younger generation can learn from a former coach of Tamim and Soumya during this period. Jamie Siddons, who coached the Bangladesh national team between 2007 and 2011, is teaching aspiring players some techniques on his website www.jamiesiddonscoaching.com

"My website is to show really young players how to swing the bat properly so that they can develop smooth and powerful swings for the modern game. I want to show parents how they can help there kids progress their game with easy tips that will give them an idea of how Tamim and Shakib swing the bat so easily," Siddons told Prothom Alo.

"These are tips that they can easily practice at home or at a park. I have developed my philosophy from watching the world's bests in my role as an international coach over a long period of time," the Australian added.

Although Siddons left the Tigers after an inglorious 2011 World Cup, he did have a signficant contribution to the development of Bangladesh's cricket.

Just the other day Mashrafe said, "Bangladesh have come a long way because of (Jamie) Siddons and (Chandika) Hathurusingha."

Tamim is a bigger fan of his former mentor. "I would say he is the best batting coach. Whatever I have learnt I have learnt from him," said the opener.

About the website, Tamim said, "I visit his site very often. The young players have a lot to learn from these videos. Especially in these days of coronavirus when we cannot go out."

Not only the cricketers, those who want to see their children become professionals in the future, will also be benefitted from the lessons on the website, Siddons believes.

"On my Facebook page my nine-year-old son Toby shows just how it works. You will find some cool videos and drills of him there," he further said.