Is there a vision for coach selection?
The World Cup is a thing of the past. The 3-0 series defeat in Sri Lanka seemed to has also faded into the background. Now, the country's cricket fraternity is immersed in a guessing game about the name of the next head coach of the national side. Who will take the reins of the Tigers after the premature departure of Steve Rhodes?
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially started the process of interviewing shortlisted applicants for the vacant head coach position, with former Proteas coach Russell Domingo presenting his plans to board high-ups on Wednesday. Who is next? A number of high-profile names like Mike Hesson, Paul Farbrace and Chandika Hathurusingha have come to the fore for interviews. Hesson's name has garnered some attention as the New Zealander stepped down as Kings XI Punjab coach yesterday, although he has also emerged as a possible candidate for the coveted post of India's head coach.
The biggest question, however, is what type of coach are the BCB looking for? Are there any specific plans or vision that will guide the appointment of a new head coach?
BCB had appointed South African Gary Kirsten as a consultant in May last year to recommend and direct the board in matters regarding appointment of coaches at various cricketing levels. It is through that process that Rhodes was appointed, only for the board to reach a conclusion after 13 months that the gentleman's style did not go with what the board wanted.
This time, there is no special committee and apparently no specific vision to find the head coach; instead the focus seems only to be on instant action.
"Basically me, Sujon [Khaled Mahmud], Durjoy [Naimur Rahman] and Jalal [Yunus] bhai, [IH]Mallick bhai, Mahbubul [Anam] bhai, [Enayet Hossain] Siraj bhai and [Nazmul Hassan] Papon bhai sit together and look into the matter [ interviewing a coach]. We have been involved in cricket for a long time and we decide on it together, although it's not a committee," said Akram Khan, BCB's cricket operations committee chairman.
"We are mainly looking for someone who will give a good presentation, not just about the national team but also his plans about Bangladesh cricket as a whole. We are also considering plans to deal with senior and junior players in the team an at the same time, how a coach plans for his coaching staff," he added.
BCB's media committee chairman Jalal Yunus also echoed that sentiment.
But, as premier all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan recently emphasized the need for long-term planning in Bangladesh cricke, preparing a guideline by the board in this regard is a must to achieve sustained success.
Ideally, it would have been best if the board first set a target for a long period of time and then appointing a head coach accordingly, taking his opinion on support staff on way to achieving the goal.
BCB have however already appointed former South Africa pacer Charl Langeveldt as pace-bowling coach and former New Zealand spinner Daniel Vettori as spin consultant for 100 days.
Sooner or later, the BCB will get the new man for the post, but will there be the clarity in process in the choice of Steve Rhodes's successor?