Saqlain may return, no decision on local assistant coach, six-players told to take proper rest before SL series
Bowling coach Shane Jurgensen was confirmed as the new head coach of the Bangladesh cricket team for one year, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Saturday.
The decision was made at a meeting of the cricket operations committee and will be effective after an approval from the BCB’s ad-hoc executive body.
Jurgensen, who was appointed as the interim coach after Englishman Richard Pybus refused to continue in his job due to a contract dispute last year, successfully guided Bangladesh to a 3-2 one-day series win against West Indies in December.
The BCB had floated an advertisement for the position of a permanent head coach and received a few applications too, but the officials said they found no-one better than the Australian trainer.
‘We had several candidates for the position of head coach. But there was no one better than Jurgensen, who had also applied for the post,’ Jalal Yunus, chairman of the BCB media committee, told reporters.
‘So we decided to appoint him as head coach up to December 2013.’ Jurgensen’s first assignment as head coach will be a visit to Sri Lanka, where Bangladesh will play two Tests, three one-day internationals and a T20 match in March.
Yunus said they are also in talks with an Australian and an Englishman for the posts of batting coach and fielding coach respectively, though he refused to name them.
‘At the moment we are trying to confirm their appointment before the Sri Lanka tour. But for some reasons I cannot disclose their names,’ said Yunus.
The BCB official added that former Pakistani spinner Saqlain Mushtaq may also return to the coaching staff provided he agrees to the schedule.
‘Saqlain told us he will be available for a maximum of 100 days in a year. We are now trying to sort out when we actually need his services. If everything goes according to plan, he can also join us,’ said Yunus.
Saqlain worked as the spin bowling coach of Bangladesh from August to December last year.
The cricket operations committee decided to promote National Cricket Academy trainer Stuart Karppinen to the national team as replacement for South African Grant Luden, who had left after the West Indies series.
There was, however, no decision about the local assistant coach as several candidates expressed their interest.
The BCB had earlier said it was considering two former national captains, Aminul Islam and Khaled Mahmud, for the job, but it has now changed its position.
‘The decision is final that we will appoint a local assistant coach. Firstly, we had very limited choices. But few other candidates have also expressed their interest now. So we decided to place an advertisement for the post,’ Yunus said after the cricket operations committee meeting.
The three national selectors along with physiotherapist Vibhab Singh also attended the cricket operations committee meeting.
Singh informed the officials that at least six cricketers – Sakib al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Ziaur Rahman and Mashrafee bin Murtaza – are carrying some niggles but all of them should be available for the Sri Lanka tour.
It was decided that the physio will ask the Bangladesh Premier League franchises to ensure proper rest for the players so that they stay fit for the Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe tours, which will be held in March-April.
‘Selectors want the players to be fully fit for the series and available for both Tests and ODIs. If some one is deemed unfit, he will not be considered for either of the series,’ said Yunus.
-With New Age input
