Shake-up ahead of England series?

England, the current champions of the white-ball format, will set foot in Bangladesh after six years on February 20 to take part in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed through a press release yesterday.

However, they may arrive to a far different outfit than they are expecting, with rumours swirling that the BCB had already informed head coach Russell Domingo they were unwilling to continue with him for upcoming assignments, including the England series.

The South African flew back home on Monday after the India series and, according to sources, the board is holding discussions to bring back Chandika Hathurusingha -- who had served as the Tigers' coach from 2014-2017 -- on a long-term contract.

The board is expected to announce a new head coach very soon. "We are yet to take a final decision, but we expect to announce a new head coach very soon," BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus told The Daily Star yesterday.

It was learned that the BCB is keen to employ Sridharan Sriram, who previously worked as the Tiger's technical consultant for the T20I format, as the full-time coach for T20Is while Hathurusingha oversees the ODI and Test teams.

However, Sriram is also working in the coaching panel of Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad. If the former all-rounder is unable to take charge of the Tigers, the board may opt for pace-bowling coach Allan Donald or batting coach Jamie Siddons for an interim period as head coach.

Bangladesh will hope any changes to the coaching panel does not disrupt the momentum. The Tigers have had an outstanding record since 2016, winning 13 of 14 bilateral series, including the latest triumph against India earlier this month.

"In a World Cup year, this series provides a wonderful opportunity for the teams to assess their strengths. For fans in Bangladesh and all over the world, ODIs and T20Is offer a mouthwatering prospect. Bangladesh has an outstanding white-ball record at home and we all know what a brilliant side England are," BCB CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury told the media yesterday.

The last time the English toured Bangladesh was in 2016 when the Tigers registered their maiden Test win against England to draw the series before losing the three-match ODI series 2-1.

The visitors will participate in two warm-up games before the series starts with the first ODI at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on March 1. The second ODI will be at the same venue on March 3.

For the third and final ODI on March 6, the teams will then travel to Chattogram, which will also host the opening T20I on March 9. The teams will then return to Dhaka for the second and third T20Is on March 12 and 14 respectively.

The tour will be a part of England's preparations for the ODI World Cup, which will be staged in India in October 2023.