Saqlain Mushtaq to be the bowling coach of Bangladesh for New Zealand series

Saqlain Mushtaq guiding Bangladeshi spin bowlers

Ex-Pakistan spin bowler Saqlain Mushtaq had agreed to join Bangladesh cricket team as bowling coach for the New Zealand series.

As reported by ESPNCricinfo, he said: “I look forward to joining the Bangladesh camp by the end of September. If not, (by) October 1 is a must.”

Saqlain first joined Bangladesh in 2012 during Richard Pybus’s reign as the head coach, and was part of the coaching staff in Sri Lanka for the World Twenty20 and the West Indies home series later in the year.

During his previous stint, Saqlain worked pervasively with Sohag Gazi, and played a significant role in the young off spinner’s success against West Indies in his maiden series. Saqlain had also worked with the senior spinners in the side such as Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan.

It is unlikely that Saqlain will be working with emerging spinners of Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh’s next international series after New Zealand is only in January, so there is an opportunity for the BCB to utilize his knowledge to find the next batch of slow bowlers in domestic cricket after the New Zealand series is over in early November.