Domingo has changed the way the team trains to ensure the players are on top of their game for longer durations. © BCB

Bangladesh team is undergoing a cultural change training-wise as they aim to move away from short intense net sessions to more a more traditional long-form version. Russel Domingo's arrival has ensured the training session looks more reformed and the duration of the training has changed drastically as well.

Earlier the players used to have three hours for their training sessions and these sessions were congested with football for warm-up, physical training, bowling and batting at the net along with fielding and catching practices. Eventually, players ended up batting for 20 to 30 minutes in the nets bowling while the bowlers, and pace bowlers in particular, used to have around 30 minutes bowling session where they hardly bowled more than 30 deliveries. The theory behind it was that team management was more keen to see that they are not exhausted by the process and are fresh to bowl longer spells in the game.

Under Domingo's watch, bowlers have now been asked to bowl longer spells at the nets where they are bowling around 60-odd deliveries and the batsmen have been given a longer rope as well. "The more you bat the better," Domingo told Cricbuzz adding that apart from that there is no specific reason behind drawing this new training module for national cricketers. The batsmen have been instructed that they can rest returning for a net session which usually lasts for an hour or two. The bowlers too were asked to break their spells but advised to bowl for a longer duration.

After two days since his arrival on August 19, Domingo started his groundwork with a skill training session with the 35 players who were selected in the preliminary squad for the Test against Afghanistan.While Charl Langeveldt (bowling coach) and Ryan Cook (fielding coach) were also seen working simultaneously with the head coach. There has been special focus on improving the fitness standards for a few of the weakest links.

"I don't know what you are trying to say and I do not know the training standard of previous coaches of Bangladesh," Domingo said about his training module. "Ryan normally turns his works into energy. Charl (Langeveldt) with the expectations from the bowlers, he has been very demanding. We want to maintain the high intensity in the practice sessions and workload that we expecting from the players. We want to make sure they fit in the storm. And I think there is an area we can improve, the bowler's fitness level."

It seemed the new head coach made it clear that when players are practising on one skill they will have to spend a good time on that session to develop it but more importantly make sure that the pace bowlers don't run out of gas when they are given the opportunity. "With the fitness aspect, it is always a concern, particularly for the fast bowlers. It's non-negotiable as far as we are concerned," Domingo pointed out.

"The best fast bowlers in the world are able to bowl 18-22 overs at the same pace in a day. I am not sure any young fast bowlers are capable of doing that. That work is still in progress but there has been some good progress made in last two weeks. I want them to bowl in the second and third spell with the same pace and particular area and that's where we are working for last two weeks."

Bangladesh have surely started a new journey with Russel Domingo and the South African is giving all indication that he will make sure that there is a system in place that ensures his charges can take the load of playing longer format by absorbing the pressure, both mentally and physically. Several players have already admitted that the training process is certainly helping them and they are hoping to reap benefits in the coming days.