Bangladesh cricket - On BCB's coach saga and keeping the trust

The resignation of Shane Jurgensen is a big blow for Bangladesh cricket

Who will be the next coach of Bangladesh cricket team? Or, who should be the next coach? Such questions are buzzing in the Bangladesh cricket arena. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are in search of a coach for the Tigers, but sadly till now they have not been able to find a coach for the Tigers and the search continues.

The vacuum created due to the resignation of Shane Jurgensen is pretty big and it is expected that the BCB will have to work really hard to fill it. Shane Jurgensen might have a very dull and torrid time this year, but mind you, as a coach, his contributions can never be undermined.

The sudden exit of Richard Pybus in 2012 left the Tigers without a full-time coach. Shane Jurgensen, who was the bowling coach during that time, was made the interim coach. As an interim coach, Jurgensen proved his worth as the Tigers beat the West Indies in an ODI series in 2012. With the Sri Lankan series knocking at the door, the Tigers were in need of a full-time coach and being satisfied with Jurgensen’s style of work, the BCB appointed Jurgensen as the full-time coach in 2013.

A new journey started for Jurgensen and it had been a very challenging and satisfactory journey for him and Bangladesh cricket. Jurgensen’s men defied adversities and produced good results throughout the year 2013. The expectations were high in 2014 in the series against Sri Lanka, Asia Cup and World Twenty20, but sadly, the Tigers couldn’t live up to the expectations. The Tigers ended up with eggs on their faces.

As usual, the tradition of blame games started and Jurgensen as a coach was criticized heavily. Suddenly, a cold relationship developed between Jurgensen and BCB and thus, last month, Jurgensen resigned from the post.

Not only as a coach, but also as a person he was very friendly and humble. He had his plans regarding the Tigers for the next year’s ICC World Cup and he had his own ways of managing each player and their shortcomings. His exit is certainly a big blow for Bangladesh cricket.

But, it’s time to move on and it’s time to handle the situation more smartly.

As soon as Jurgensen departed, there was a hue and cry for appointing a local coach – a thought which is pretty different in Bangladesh cricket. As because, we Bangladeshis are comfortable in believing that our local coaches are not well-equipped to coach international cricket teams. A few years back such thoughts might have bear enough weight but at present, such thoughts are pretty myopic.

Over the years, people like Aminul Islam, Sarwar Imran and Khaled Mahmud have become enough qualified to coach the Tigers. Appointing a local coach will be beneficial enough for the Tigers as Ian Pont said, “The problems coaches face in Bangladesh are not insurmountable. But there has to be a will on all sides to resolve them. The board must let coaches actually coach and bring in the changes necessary for the betterment of the game. On the other hand, coaches must understand that the excuse culture is still rife and that working in a cricket mad country where emotions run high, is not the same as coaching in Australia, England or South Africa. That’s why it’s time to give a local coach a try”.

But, the BCB have declined from such plans. Their focus is still on appointing a foreign coach. High profile names like Andy Flower, Michael Bevan and Chandika Haturusingha are being heard; but still nothing is sure. The BCB’s target is perhaps the World Cup and for which they are interested in recruiting someone very experienced who can build this fragile unit in a very short time.

If that is the plan then, I think, either Dav Whatmore or Ian Pont is the best person to galvanize this unit in a short time, as because, these two people have enough experience about Bangladesh cricket and it will be very good if a local coach is allotted alongside them.

But what the BCB is thinking? We are still not sure.

Only one thing I can say and which is, appointing a local coach for the long term will be appropriate enough. We need to put faith in people like Aminul islam, Khaled Mahmud and Sarwar Imran. They will not dissatisfy us.