A determined Jahanara Alam, Bangladeshi pace bowler, prepares to deliver a fast ball during a training session.

Women’s Asia Cup 2024 : Reinvigorated Jahanara Alam has prepared for the Asia Cup

Alam has refined her technique. © Getty

Bangladeshi pace bowler Jahanara Alam is reaping the benefits of a remodeled bowling action that has helped her increase her pace, paving the way for her comeback to the national setup after more than a year.

Jahanara, who earned a spot in the T20 Asia Cup squad following a solid performance in the Dhaka Premier League where she became the highest wicket-taker with 25 scalps, last played for Bangladesh during a three-match away T20I series against Sri Lanka in May 2023.

The right-arm pacer credited renowned coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who worked with her extensively at the Masco Cricket Academy after she was dropped from the national setup, for helping her make an international comeback.

“Alhamdulillah, I have returned to the national team after a long year, and all the praise goes to Allah.

During this year, I trained at Masco Academy for nine months.

Sheikh Salauddin Sir and other coaching staff worked really hard with me and helped improve my performance,” Jahanara said in a statement provided by BCB on Friday.

“I have tried to stay prepared so that whenever the call comes from the women’s national team, I can grab the opportunity,” she added.

“In the last Premier League, I performed well, which was the result of the long training I underwent for nine months.

Overall, the feeling is really good as I will be able to represent Bangladesh once again.”

Salahuddin told Cricpulse on Friday that their major focus during Jahanara’s time at Masco Academy was on increasing her pace.

“No one can question her dedication level because she used to visit here [Masco Academy] regularly, even though it is far from Dhaka.

She did all this because she wanted to improve,” said Salahuddin.

“We tried to increase her pace because the pace she was bowling at wasn’t effective enough at the international level.

We also worked on providing her with a better game plan to make her deliveries more effective, emphasizing the tactical side of her bowling.

“Normally, it is difficult to increase pace once it is lost.

But through sheer hard work, she managed to do that and understood what needs to be done to generate pace,” he explained.

“We tried to remodel her action a bit to help her generate more pace because her previous action made it difficult to do so,” he added.

Jahanara also emphasized her focus on fitness, recognizing its long-term importance, and mentioned their goal to make a statement in the forthcoming Asia Cup.

“Our first aim is to reach the semi-finals, and if we can play as the champion of the group stage, we might face Pakistan, which is likely to be an easier opponent.

We are aiming for that,” said the former national skipper.

Pakistan and India are placed in Group A along with Nepal and UAE, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Malaysia are in Group B.

The top two teams from each group will play in the semi-finals on July 26, and the final will be held on July 28.

Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka on July 20, followed by matches against Thailand and Malaysia on July 22 and 24, respectively.

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