Washout ‘not a problem’

There has been a major shake-up in Bangladesh's coaching staff following the Tigers' ICC World Cup campaign, where they eventually finished eighth, as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is desperately looking for a change in the dressing room.

The BCB had already announced that they will not continue with head coach Steve Rhodes, whose contract was till the 2020 World T20. In addition, the board will not renew their contract with bowling coach Courtney Walsh either.

There were talks over whether the board would continue with fielding coach Ryan Cook, physio Thihan Chandamohan and spin bowling coach Sunil Joshi with Bangladesh scheduled to take part in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka later this month.

Meanwhile news arrived that former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud is going to take up the role of interim coach for Bangladesh for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka.

Mahmud, who has worked as the Tigers' interim coach before, was previously the team manager in the just concluded World Cup campaign. However, according to Mahmud, he does not want to take on the responsibility of an interim coach repeatedly.

"Even I also have to think about it [becoming the interim coach]. I don't want to take up the job as the interim coach for one series repeatedly. I think it won't be good for me," Mahmud told reporters yesterday.

According to sources, Mahmud has been looking for a long term role for at least one year.

"I am always prepared [to take up coaching] but I don't know yet. Coaching is my profession where the board has given me the responsibility once but I am yet to decide whether I will work as an interim again or not. At the same time it also depends on the board's decision whether they will appoint me or not," he said.

The BCB have already given the go-ahead to Mahmud to take charge during the upcoming series in Sri Lanka, which is set to take place from July 27 to 31.

It was also learnt that Shakib Al Hasan and a few other players have requested a break from the Sri Lanka tour. However, according to chief selector Minhajul Abedin, they are yet to receive any official requests from the players and informed that the selectors are going to form the best possible team for the series.

In their first attempt to revamp the backroom staff following the ICC Cricket World Cup in England, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have cut ties with head coach Steve Rhodes. BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury informed yesterday that they reached a mutual understanding with Rhodes and that his tenure with the team would be terminated with immediate effect.

"You know after any big events every board assesses the performance of their coaching staffs and we also met to discuss the issue soon after the completion of our team's last group match against Pakistan at Lord's. You know its vice-a-versa as Steve Rhodes has to have the desire to continue the job and the board has to want to keep him. Finally, we came to a mutual understanding," said Nizamuddin.

On June 7 last year the BCB appointed Rhodes as head coach after the post remained vacant for seven months following the resignation of Chandika Hathurusingha in October 2017. It was then revealed by the BCB that Rhode's contract would see him take charge of the Tigers until after the 2020 T20 World Cup in Australia.

"It was in the agreement that we would assess everything after the ongoing World Cup," added Nizamuddin.

He also informed that they would set up the next course of action in regards to the appointment of a new head coach at the next board meeting.

"The ICC meeting will be take place from July 15 to 19 and after that a board meeting will take place where we discuss everything at length. But what I can say that internally we have started it. Right at this moment we didn't decide about who will look after the team for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka and it will also be decided in the board meeting," he explained.

Although Nizamuddin said that Rhodes was relieved of his duties under a mutual understanding, the board was apparently not happy with the way he handled the team during the World Cup. Rumours swirled during the quadrennial mega event that the players felt that they lacked a good planner at the helm.

In addition, the board will also likely search for a bowling coach and fielding consultant as bowling coach Courtney Walsh's four-year contract and fielding consultant Ryan Cook's contract expires at the end of the World Cup and, according to sources, the board is not interested in renewing their contracts. However, it is likely that batting consultant Neil McKenzie and spin-bowling coach Sunil Joshi will continue in their roles.

The board however did not clear the air about whether Mashrafe bin Mortaza will continue as a ODI captain as they want to Mashrafe to make his own decision.

At the business end of a tournament, skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was once more faced with an all-too-familiar hurdle. In the last two ICC 50-over tournaments, it was India that stopped Bangladesh's march -- in the 2015 World Cup quarterfinal and the 2017 Champions Trophy semifinal. After an impressive run in the ongoing World Cup, Mashrafe and Co are left having to win against India today to stay alive in the race to the semifinals.

Mashrafe was under no illusions about the size of the task at hand when speaking at the pre-match press conference in Birmingham yesterday.

"Look, every time we play, we want to win, but India were the better side in the last few World Cups," Mashrafe said when asked about his team's chances. "We go out onto the field to play at our best, and let's see. You never know. If you have a very good day, play every area, and if we are 100 percent correct, then you never know. It's a sport that on your day you can beat anybody."

All sportsmen present a veneer of confidence ahead of a contest, but Mashrafe seemed to struggle to maintain his.

"I'm not surprised," Mashrafe answered when asked whether he expected the team to last this long in the World Cup. "I think there's not too much left. We have to play at our best. If we can manage to win, that will be great, but to be honest, both sides [India and Pakistan, their next opponents] are very strong. It's not going to be easy, but we have to play hard and have to be 100 percent in every area. Good thing that we're still in the tournament, maybe, maybe not [after tomorrow], but let's see. We have to play a lot better than what we have played."

And that is the nature of the challenge facing Bangladesh. Most observers have been impressed by Bangladesh's progress through the tournament -- beating West Indies, South Africa and Afghanistan and almost beating New Zealand. But with how the teams stack up -- India have the most varied bowling attack and the best players of spin bowling, Bangladesh's strength -- Mashrafe knew that his team would have to play even better to stand a chance against the 2011 and 1983 champions.

"Whenever we have beaten big teams, I don't think we have ever won by playing well in one department," Mashrafe said when asked if there was one area in which he would put Bangladesh ahead of India. "It has always been batting, bowling and fielding. If we can do well in all sectors, then of course we can win."

There may be one chink in India's armour and that is their top-heavy batting department. Opener Rohit Sharma and skipper Virat Kohli, at number three, have scored a lion's share of their runs and getting them early could expose a softer middle order. But Bangladesh seem ill-prepared to exploit that as well, as they have managed to take a wicket in the first 10 overs just twice in six matches. Pacers Mustafizur Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin have taken 10 wickets each, but only one of those wickets, that of Chris Gayle's wicket by Saifuddin, was taken by a pacer. Mashrafe meanwhile has just one wicket from six matches.

"It has not been ideal, for sure," Mashrafe said. "You need early wickets against India, otherwise they can get a very big score. But just because it has not happened before does not mean it won't happen tomorrow [Tuesday]."

That seems to be Bangladesh's way forward -- they have to find something that they have not yet found in the tournament.