Samaraweera confirmed batting consultant
West Indies great Courtney Walsh would act as a mentor of Bangladesh’s pace bowlers once he joined the Tigers as their next pace bowling coach, said Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan on Friday. The BCB appointed Walsh on a three-year term as Tigers’ specialist pace bowling coach with his contract running from September 1 to World Cup 2019 in England.
The Caribbean great, who played 132 Tests and claimed 519 wickets, is expected to arrive today to prepare Tigers ahead of their home series against Afghanistan and England.
He will replace Zimbabwean Heath Streak, who stepped down in May after helping the Tigers develop a strong group of talented fast bowlers.
‘We were looking for a fast bowling coach and had been in talks with three individuals,’ BCB president Nazmul told reporters in Dhaka airport after returning from Singapore on a personal trip.
‘He [Walsh] was our first choice. Though he does not have the experience of working with a national team [as coach], you can’t get a legend like him too often, especially in pace bowling.’ said Nazmul.
‘He worked as a mentor for different club teams. His interest in the game is still huge and that is why we have chosen him,’ he said.
Nazmul was confident that Walsh’s cricketing knowledge would be enough to guide Tigers in the upcoming days despite him having no practical experience of working as a full-fledged bowling
coach of an international side.
Walsh retired from international cricket in 2001 as the then leading wicket taker in Test cricket and has since worked in different capacities, including as the selector of West Indies Cricket Board most recently.
‘He may not have worked as a coach with the national team, but he was with the Under-19 team,’ said Nazmul.
‘He is basically known as a mentor. The information that we have is that he is more successful as a technical man and he knows what to do.
‘Now only time will say how much he can offer to our boys and how much we can take. But I think he is great addition to our pace bowling department,’ he said.
Nazmul announced Sri Lankan Thilan Samaraweera will be joining Bangladesh national team as batting consultant ahead of their home series against England series.
BCB appointed Samaraweera for a short term as BCB preferred to evaluate him after the England series.
‘At the moment, we appointed him [Samraweera] for the England series. We will see him and then we will discuss if we can extend his contract.’
England will arrive in Dhaka on September 30 to play two Tests and three one-day internationals.
The BCB president said they are in the process of appointing more coaching staff ahead of upcoming international series, which includes a tour to New Zealand in December-January and maiden Test tour to India in February.
‘Fielding coach Richard Halsall will now work as assistant coach. We are also looking for a spin bowling coach,’ Nazmul said.
Bangladesh recently terminated the contract national team’s Sri Lankan assistant coach Ruwan Kalpage, who was also in charge of team’s spin bowling department
-With New Age input
