‘There are three to four people on the shortlist’
Former Bangladesh captain, Akram Khran, has remained coy on
the speculation of Richard Pybus becoming the next coach of Bangladesh. The
South African, who coached the Tigers for a short stint of 5 months in 2012, arrived
in Dhaka yesterday to hold talks with the BCB for the position of head coach.
In a press conference yesterday, Akram Khan – who is also
the current selector of BCB – has claimed that while BCB will hold talks with
the former Pakistan coach, he is not the only one that they are looking for.
“He [Pybus] is on the shortlist,” said Akram Khan. “We aren’t
going to make a hasty decision because the next coach will be contractually
obligated for 2-3 years.
“We are going to consult with everyone and then come to a
decision.”
When asked about whether Pybus is the favourite to land the
job, Khan said that it was “difficult to say because we have 3-4 people on the
shortlist.”
The fact that Bangladesh have gone back to Pybus despite
their previous marriage not ending well says a lot about the issue. Indeed,
Akram Khan himself expressed that getting good coaches these days is “difficult.”
“Since it is difficult to get hold of good coaches, we have
shortlisted 3-4 coaches and we will talk to all of them,” Khan said.
“After that, we will watch their presentations and then
finally come to a decision.”
He then went on to speak about the controversy regarding
Tamim Iqbal. The Comilla captain was fined and has been subjected to further
scrutiny as he awaits a hearing on the issue on the 21st of this
month – and Akram seemed cautious while adding his opinion.
“It was actually the board that decided it [the hearing] and
not the cricket operations,” he said before adding, “it is mentioned in the players’
contracts about what they can say and what they can’t – and I fully don’t know
what he [Tamim] said.”
When asked about whether players don’t have the right to
express their disappointment on issues that bother them, Akram Khan emphasized
that it is not the ‘what’ but the ‘how’.
“They can 100% [express their disgruntlement], but what
matters is how they say it.
“At times, there might be a bit of regret [in the player] –
and that is why he has been called by the board.
“There will be a disciplinary committee that will
speak to him.”
He then moved on to the future fixtures of the team and
mentioned that the team will get a bit of a rest before they start preparing
for them. Indeed, the Tigers have been playing non-stop for a while, starting
with the Australia series and ending with the Bangladesh Premier League with
the tormenting tour of South Africa sandwiched in between.
“We have discussed this between us. The team went to South
Africa for 45 days, right after the Australia series.
“After that, they returned to the country and took part in
the BPL right after. The BPL takes it toll on a player, be it mentally or physical
and that is why we decided to start the training camp [of the upcoming series] after
10-12 days of rest.”
Akram Khan also mentioned that the team will play against
West Indies by the end of June, but that he is “not thinking too much about it” because
“there is a lot of cricket to play before that.” He also added that there is a
possibility to play against Afghanistan somewhere down the line, but he is “not
sure” about it.
It seems as though Bangladesh cricket team fans will be blessed by a lot of action in the upcoming months, so they might as well keep some popcorn and drinks in store.
Picture Courtesy : Getty Images
