Sunil Joshi appointed spin bowling coach of Bangladesh cricket team
What’s the story?
Former Indian spinner Sunil Joshi has been appointed the spin coach of the Bangladesh Cricket team. The Karnataka man was offered the job on the sidelines of the ongoing series against India in Hyderabad.
Joshi joins the Bangladesh coaching panel which already has Courtney Walsh as the fast-bowling coach. Sri Lankan Chandika Haturusingha is the head coach of the team and this inclusion could well be a shot in the arm of the Bangladesh team.
The left-arm tweaker would join the squad for their tour to Sri Lanka later this month and he would also be involved with the development squad where he would work with the upcoming spinners.
The Details:
Joshi’s name was suggested by current Indian coach Anil Kumble and the Bangladesh management offered him the contract on the second day of the ongoing Test match with India.
Also, BCB president Nazmul Hasan, cricket operations committee chairman Akram Khan and several other decision makers are already in Hyderabad and the decision was a collective one.
In case you didn’t know...
The post of the spin bowling coach fell vacant when Ruwan Kalpage was sacked back in August and according to reports, the BCB officials have been on the lookout for a replacement ever since. After the endorsement of Anil Kumble, a contract was offered to Joshi.
The former spinner had a decent run in International cricket but could never quite set the stage alight. However, his coaching career has been a successful one as has been involved with Oman. Also, he is credited for the rise and performances of many Indian spinners which include Shreyas Gopal and KP Apanna. Recently, he was also the coach of the Assam team for the Ranji Trophy.
What's next?
With the appointment of Sunil Joshi, Bangladesh now have the entire coterie of coaching staff complete and this should boost their morale not only for the ongoing series against India but also for the future assignments.
The next tour to Sri Lanka would the first tour wherein Joshi could make his presence felt. He has the experience and the coaching acumen to extract the best out of his players and with the spinning talent available in Bangladesh it could prove to be the right move.
Sportskeeda’s Take
Bangladesh have always produced many spinners with a lot of promise but they have fizzled out after a bright start. However, things have settled down in the recent past and with the spinning group boasting of promising prospects in Mehedi Hasan, Taijul Islam, Shuvagota Hom, Arafat Sunny and Shakib Al Hasan the appointment of the Karnataka man could only prove to be a step taken in the right direction.
Watch: Sunil Joshi’s amazing spell against South Africa