Allan Donald will step down from his position as the fast-bowling coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Team immediately after the World Cup 2023.
Per the latest reports, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is keen on bringing an all-round overhaul in the wake of a dismal CWC in favourable conditions. Besides picking the new Test captain, a call on Shakib Al Hasan's future will be taken.
"Yes, he (Donald) informed us that he will not carry on with us after this World Cup during the team meeting," an unnamed BCB official, on request of anonymity, said on Thursday.
Donald was appointed in March 2022 with an eye on the T20 World Cup in Australia. Considering relative progress in the pace department, the BCB extended his contract until the showpiece event in India.
Meanwhile, on November 8, the BCB announced they would seek an explanation from Donald for taking a jibe at the team’s captain Shakib Al Hasan over Angelo Mathews’ ‘timed out’ dismissal, which stirred controversy.
While Shakib stood his ground, firstly refusing to take back his call and then announcing that he has no regrets over his actions, Donald came down hard on Shakib, saying he was disappointed to see this and didn’t like how Shakib, in the name of ‘I want to win’, stooped this low.
Donald, in reply, said, “That's all okay with me if they (BCB) seek an explanation. As far as I am concerned the explanation was in the news!”
Shakib’s future in limbo
Having made headlines for the wrong reasons in the lead-up to this World Cup involving unrest with injured Tamim Iqbal, Shakib, per his comments earlier, might step down from the captaincy position right after this World Cup.
"He had not informed us about leaving captaincy before the World Cup. We believed that [the interview] was not an official thing," Jalal Yunus, the BCB's cricket operations chairman, said.
After the game against Sri Lanka, Shakib injured his hand and got ruled out of the World Cup and two home Tests against New Zealand that will follow.
Source: WION
BDST: 1209 HRS, NOV 10, 2023
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