There was a revamp in the Tigers coaching staff in 2014 when Chandika Hathurusingha took charge as the head coach after Shane Jurgensen resigned. Two years into the Sri Lankan’s tenure, there have been a few major changes in the Tigers camp.
The support staff, including bowling coach Heath Streak, assistant and spin bowling coach Ruwan Kalpage, fielding coach Richard Halsall and trainer Mario Villavarayan were all included in mid-2014 as part of a major change after dismal performances by the Bangladesh team under former head coach Jurgensen.
The Australian finally resigned from his post in April 2014, despite his contract running till the 2015 World Cup, and was soon followed by trainer David Dwyer and fielding and batting coach Corey Richards; all resigning in the space of two weeks.
And the new-look coaching staff under Hathurusingha saw the Tigers reach the quarterfinal of the 2015 World Cup for the very first time. The Tigers later won ODI series’ against powerhouses India, Pakistan and South Africa at home.
As a result, Hathurusingha was rewarded as the Bangladesh Cricket Board extended his contract as the head coach till the 2019 World Cup, including all the other coaching staff. However, bowling coach Streak did not continue with the Tigers after completing his two-year tenure quite successfully in May this year. During this period, the Bangladesh fast bowling department improved significantly.
And since then, the BCB was looking for a bowling coach, most preferably a high-profile cricketer, and eventually appointed former West Indies fast bowling great Courtney Walsh till the 2019 World Cup.
Meanwhile, Hathurusingha was willing to increase his support staff as the newest inclusion included former Sri Lankan batsman Thilan Samaraweera as the batting consultant, which will be his second stint in international cricket after working as the batting consultant of Australia.
BCB president Nazmul Hasan announced the new batting consultant for the upcoming England series. However, the contract could be extended, he said on Friday.
Nazmul also said the board is looking to appoint a spin bowling coach before the New Zealand series later this year after assistant coach Kalpage was sacked for ignoring instructions to report to duty last month. Fielding coach Halsall instead has been promoted as the Tigers assistant coach.
And once again, the BCB boss hinted of roping in another high-profile cricketer. There are a few names doing the rounds, including the likes of Australian legend Shane Warne and Pakistan’s Mushtaq Ahmed.
Meanwhile, this is Walsh’s first major international coaching role since his retirement in 2001. The former fast bowler was the Windies selector while he was also the manager of the West Indies Under-19 team previously.
No doubt the inclusion of high-profile players like Walsh and others in the current Bangladesh dressing room will undoubtedly help the cricketers immensely, despite their lack of experience in coaching.