Bangladesh are presently playing Afghanistan in a T20I series. (Source: File Photo)
Bangladesh have appointed has appointed former England wicket-keeper Steve Rhodes as the head coach. In a release, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said that Rhodes has been appointed on a contract that extends till the 2020 World T20. Rhodes was previously coach of Worcestershire and the England U-19 squad and lost both these positions because of his failure to report the arrest of Alex Hepburn in timely fashion.
Earlier, Bangladesh had retained interim head coach Courtney Walsh for the T20I series against Afghanistan. The BCB confirmed Walsh’ appointment in a statement released on Sunday. “The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Courtney Walsh Head Coach for the Twenty20 International series against Afghanistan in Dehradun, India. Walsh had performed the same role during the Nidahas Trophy tri-nation in Sri Lanka in March this year. The Bangladesh Team is scheduled to leave for Dehradun on 29 May to play three T20s on 03, 05 and 07 June,” the statement read.
Bangladesh’s search for a head coach began after Chandika Hathurusingha had resigned from his post in November last year. Confirming the development BCB President Nazmul Hasan said, “As far as I remember, he submitted a letter to me in early October. He didn’t give any specific reasons. He only said he wasn’t interested anymore. He mentioned that he is not interested to work. He received the offer from Sri Lanka one year ago and Sri Lanka’s Honorable president also asked him to consider, he had from other places as well and he had shown me quite a few of those offers. It is difficult to say without talking with him why he wants to leave or whether it is a better offer, family issues or something else.”
“He is a professional coach. We will deal it professionally. We won’t force him but will ask him about the reason,” he added.
Bangladesh are presently playing Afghanistan in a two-match T20I series in Dehradun. The Bangladesh side has already lost the seies after Afghanistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead on Tuesday.