Shane set for full-time role
* Appointment subject to approval by the board.
* Negotiations ongoing for batting and fielding coaches.
* Six key national players under injury cloud ahead of Sri Lanka tour.
* Shakib has to play all formats; no scope to pick and choose, says BCB media committee chairman Yunus.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is all set to appoint Shane Jurgensen as head coach of the national cricket team till the end of this year.
The BCB's cricket operations committee recommended the Australian's name for the full-time role in its meeting yesterday at the board's headquarters in Mirpur. It was also revealed after the meeting that six key players are suffering from injuries, including champion all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, but there is no scope for anyone to make himself available only for the shorter versions of the game; one either has to be fully fit or taking rest.
Meanwhile, mere formalities remain for Jurgensen, who joined the Bangladesh team as a specialist bowling coach in October 2011, to become the Tigers head coach as the board will formally give the approval in its next meeting.
Since the departure of Jamie Siddons after the end of the 2011 World Cup, the BCB has struggled to appoint a long-term head coach as first Stuart Law (less than one year) and then Richard Pybus left the post prematurely. Jurgensen filled the vacuum as an interim head coach, during which time the Tigers won an ODI series against West Indies.
“We have three applicants including Shane Jurgensen. After evaluating everything the cricket operations committee considered Jurgensen the best choice for the job and now his appointment is subject to approval of the board,†said BCB's media committee chairman Jalal Yunus after the meeting.
“Stuart Karpinnen, our academy trainer, will be our trainer for the Sri Lanka tour and we have two candidates for two specialist positions -- a batting coach from England and a fielding coach from Australia. We will negotiate with them, and possibly try to bring them on board before the Sri Lanka series. If we don't get the specialist positions from our list, we will take local coaches to Sri Lanka. We wanted a local assistant coach, a position in which four former national players have shown interest. We will advertise for the position so that others can apply,†said Yunus, adding that former short-term spin-bowling coach Saqlain Mushtaq wants coach the Tigers for 100 days in a calendar year but they (the BCB) haven't decided how to allot those 100 days.
Yunus said that the three national selectors were also present in the meeting and they were concerned about six players -- Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Ziaur Rahman, Shakib and Mahmudullah Riyad, who have injury worries ahead of the Tigers' next assignment in Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh team will fly to Colombo on February 28 to play two Tests, three ODIs and a T20I.
“We advised our physiotherapist (Vibhav Singh) to take care of all the injury concerns and talk with the BPL franchises about the matter and inform them if injured players need rest. The national interest is above everything. Our physio informed in the meeting that some players are very callous with their injuries as they even don't come for the rehabilitation programme, which is really unfortunate,†said Yunus.
There has been debate about whether Shakib can play the Test series in Sri Lanka; BCB's physician Debashish Chowdhury said after the latest bone scan of the champions all-rounder two days ago that the he needed to manage the shine bone injury that kept him out of the one-day series against West Indies at home in November-December last year.
“Shakib is not complaining of any pain and he is going to play today's BPL match. The board doesn't agree that Shakib will only play the shorter-version games. He has to be fit for all formats; otherwise he can go for rest if he has any injury problems. You can't only play one-day, T20 and IPL; you have to focus on national interest first,†said Yunus.
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