Agency :
Former Indian cricketer and former spin bowling coach of Australia Sridhar Sriram will join the Bangladesh team as its technical consultant.
Sriram will start his tenure with the upcoming Asia Cup and will continue in his role till this year’s ICC Twenty20 World Cup in Australia, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan announced in a press conference on Friday.
“Sriram was in our shortlist. He is scheduled to come here on the 21st. But he is not coming here as the new head coach. He is coming here as a technical consultant. He will stay with us till the T20 World Cup,” Nazmul told reporters in Gulshan.
Sriram has played eight One-Day Internationals (ODI) for India. He was Australia’s spin bowling coach from 2015 to 2022. He quit the Australia job to concentrate more on his coaching stints at the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Sriram was part of the coaching staff of IPL franchises Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings.
Sriram’s coaching experience in the shortest format of the game prompted BCB to give hand him the responsibility.
“We have considered a few factors before roping him in. He has been involved with the IPL. We wanted someone who has experience of coaching in the T20 format. Also, the World Cup is going to take place in Australia, where he has worked for a long time. For these two reasons, we have signed him on till the World Cup.”
Meanwhile, speculations still remain over who will be Bangladesh’s head coach in the Asia Cup, with the board reportedly considering appointing a separate head coach for the T20 format while keeping Russell Domingo as the head coach for the other two formats.
When asked about it, Nazmul Hassan said, “We haven’t decided yet. We will sit with everyone on the 22nd then take a call on it. A lot of changes will take place, not just one or two things.”
On his new assignment with Bangladesh, Sriram said he was looking forward to the role with excitement: “I bring with me twenty-five years of cricketing experience and nine years of coaching at an elite level. I am really looking forward to working with the Bangladesh players.
“I believe Bangladesh has huge potential in white ball cricket and the very thought of being involved with such a talented group of players at two high profile events excites me.”
