South Africa’s Russell Domingo Named New Bangladesh Head Coach

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Saturday (August 17) appointed South Africa’s Russell Domingo as the national team’s head coach on a two-year contract.

Domingo will arrive in the country on 21 August and will take charge of the team from that date, the BCB said in a release.

He takes over from Steve Rhodes, who was let go from his position after Bangladesh were unable to make the semi-finals of the ICC World Cup 2019.

Domingo is a rare case in the cricket world as has no experience of playing the game even at the first-class level but has gained a positive reputation as a coach from the early stages of his career.

He was previously in charge of the South African under 19 and senior teams and was at the helm when the side reached the semi-finals of the ICC World T20 2014 as well as the 2015 World Cup.

"We have been very impressed with his passion and coaching philosophy," BCB president Nazmul Hassan said in a statement. "He has a clear idea of what is required to take the team forward.”

For his part, Domingo stated that his main aim would be to develop the next generation of players from the country. “I have followed Bangladesh’s progress with keen interest and I am extremely excited to assist the team in reaching the goals that they are capable of,” he said.

“I look forward to continuing the ongoing development of current players whilst also looking towards the future and developing some new bright stars from within the talent pool of Bangladesh cricket.”

Dominigo’s first assignment in charge will be the one-off Test against Afghanistan in September that will be followed by a T20 tri-series featuring Afghanistan and Bangladesh.