DS article: The tiger behind the Tigers (Mohammad Isam)

[MohammedC]

Jamie Si-ddons never gets tired of repeating this mantra: work hard and be patient; success will follow.
The belief goes deep into the man and his work.
After taking a 3-0 lead with the nine-run victory against New Zealand, Siddons saw his boys shed tears of joy in the dressing-room after a decade of pain. "That's what I coach for, the look in my players' eyes that is filled with so much happiness. They can be very proud of themselves and hold their heads high," he said.
"This has been a long time coming. There was a lot of hard work put into it and we have endured ups and downs but this is special," said Siddons.
Bangladesh have now won 24 out of 70 ODIs under the 46-year-old Australian, nine of which are against Test-playing nations. The forty-six losses have often frustrated the patience of all concerned, be it Siddons, the board, the media or the public, as has the 16 in Test matches. But the coach always believed that it was important to stick by his charges.
"They needed someone to believe in them and their work and I always told them that if they put in the effort and can wait for success, it will be around the corner. I always wanted them to improve and learn everyday," he said.
Luckily for the coach, one of his charges also had a profound belief in the formula for working hard to improve everyday and not wait for short-term glory that comes and goes.
According to Siddons, Shakib Al Hasan will be picked in any national team around the world. "He is so talented that I think he will be picked in any team in the world," he said, adding that his success is also due to the influence of his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin and the continuous development under Australian coaches like himself, Richard McInnes and Shaun Williams. "But ultimately, it is his hard work over the years that is paying off. He is in a good place now," said Siddons.
The Australian's time in Bangladesh, between October 2007 and now, has been a mirror image of his mantra. While talking to The Daily Star yesterday, Siddons finally sounded a pleased man after three years of hard work and patience with the oft-maligned Tigers has bore fruit.
Siddons has previously tried hard, without luck at times, to instill the same level of patience to his charges; the national cricketers were filled with talent but fraught with a history of physical, mental and technical shortcomings.
Now, spending some rare relaxed time with his family, Siddons believes that it was the punishing 1½ month camp ahead of the New Zealand series that was the cornerstone of the 3-0 lead.
"We have worked long and hard for a month and a half, from 8am to 4pm everyday," said Siddons. Those who saw the camp always maintained that the Tigers have never worked so hard.
The challenge was thrown at Siddons at a time when the Tigers were actually on the back of a tremendously low period marked by sudden spikes of brilliance. In 2007, Bangladesh won two big games in the one-day World Cup and one in the World Twenty20s. But that was all as far as wins were concerned and frustratingly, the Tigers never lived up to their potential, a repeat of the previous seven years.
From the very beginning of his stint, Siddons has always said that he will go for consistency and not flashes in the pan. The coach understood that it was possible for the Tigers to become dependable, but hardly found many supporters to his claim.
Maybe his results have hardly been impressive when it comes to figures but if statistics are to be considered, the year 2009 was the best in the country's history with a 73.7% win percentage. It has taken a dip this year with five wins but the last three have come three in a row, a promise for better numbers perhaps? One should remember that he started with only five wins from 26 matches in 2008 so it can only get better.
His record is also better in home conditions, winning 43% of the 32 games while winning 26% of all his away outings.
It is hard to avoid criticism when you are the underdogs but when you do win, it has a sweeter taste. Siddons seems to be loving it and if his Tigers want more, he can have more of it.

http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesig...php?nid=158611