Tigers' coach Jurgensen quits
April has been the month of resignations at the Bangladesh Cricket Board -- after Richard McInnes and David Dwyer already quit their posts, the latest to follow suit is the chief of the pack, the national team's very own head coach Shane Jurgensen.
In a move that the BCB directors described as 'emotional' and 'surprising', Jurgensen, who has been a member of the Bangladesh team since 2011 and is contracted with the board till 2015, e-mailed his resignation letter to the board yesterday morning.
He however, stated that he was willing to coach the national side until the end of a three-match ODI series with India in June. The board has yet to accept his resignation.
According to the BCB, the Australian was unhappy about the comments 'for the need of a new coach' made by some of its directors to the media and cited it to be the main reason behind his resignation.
"He has submitted his resignation letter. We could not discuss it in detail during the board meeting today [Monday], since the president is not well and could not attend the meeting. In his letter he said that he was not happy about some of the comments made in the media regarding his position and that's why he is quitting," said Akram Khan, BCB's head of cricket operations yesterday.
Rumours of the coach being sacked began circulating ever since Bangladesh's disappointing performance in the World T20. More recently, a website quoted an unnamed BCB official as saying that the board was in search of a batting coach and that Jurgensen's position was in jeopardy.
BCB president, Nazmul Hassan Papon, too had spoken of making changes in the team management following the T20 World Cup, but he never publicly spoke of the need for a new head coach. Papon, in fact, during a press conference earlier this month said that he did not have any intentions of bringing a new head coach. As such, the resignation has surprised many board members.
"When a team performs badly, there's plenty of criticism. It used to happen with us as well, when we played. But the fact remains that we never had taken an official decision against him and honestly speaking, in an issue like this, I never expected a resignation letter," said Akram.
BCB director Jalal Yunus echoed Akram's sentiments. "I personally believe that he has resigned mainly due to the speculation in the media. He could have at least communicated with the CEO before taking the decision. We could have negotiated. But this happened all of a sudden."
When asked if the directors, who spoke of the need for a new coach to the media, crossed a line, Yunus said, "This is a normal practice. These things will take place but that does not mean that we are removing the head coach or the fielding coach or any one for that matter."
Akram however had a different opinion.
"At the end of the day it's the board president who takes the decision. And I think this kind of individual comments should be restricted. These have affected both players and staff members in the past as well," he said.
At the moment, the BCB is waiting for the president to take a final decision on the matter. If the president does approve the resignation, Bangladesh face the stiff task of finding a new head coach with just six months left to the 50-over World Cup; the intensity of which the BCB is well aware of.
As Yunus put it, "Finding a good coach all of a sudden is going to be difficult. It takes time. Coaches come to Bangladesh, they gain experience and move for better offers. Let's see what happens."
Jurgensen first joined Bangladesh as their bowling coach in 2011. The following year, he replaced Richard Pybus, as the interim head coach. A series of good performances in 2013 led to the Australian earning a contract till the 50-over World Cup in 2015.
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