Vacancy for a coach filled by Bangladesh

Well until now, the problem with Bangladesh cricket was that it could not find decent cricketers and now, even the vacancy for a coach has been a far from reality for the Bangladesh cricket Board. Nevermind that Bangladesh have been able to get a decent coach in Dav Whatmore who was the coach of the Sri Lankan team that won the world cup in 1996. Not only did Sri Lanka win the world cup in 1996, but also the Sri Lankan team ended up their world cup campaign without losing a single match in that edition. of course, there were two matches against Australia and West Indies which were forfeited.

Anyways, with that being a different issue altogether, coming to the subject of Bangladesh coach, all that can be concluded is that Bangladesh have successfully filled the void rather than looking out for a successful coach. At the same time, Bangladesh cricket board have made the name of the Essex fast bowler - Ian Pont be known to the entire world which was until then known only to England or may be only to Essex. This should not be a problem for players like Andy Flower and Tom Moody have been seen coaching the England and Sri Lankan team despite one coming from Zimbabwe and the other a lesser known Aussie.

However, Bangladesh deserve not to have a coach for, they were seen showing off their ego when they turned down the offer by the former West Indian fast bowler Colin Croft for his lack of experience as a coach. One has to check out the caliber of the present Bangladeshi coach - Ian Pont as to how successful has he been as a coach. Adding to that, Andrew Caddick was also not offered the job, but this time for better reasons that Andy had business interests at home. Likewise, Venkatesh Prasad was also in the line for the job but didn't happen to be so for reasons best known to him alone.

Now, the million dollar question is that can Bangladesh team benefit from the Essex player who will henceforth be coaching the national side? This is no real estate blog to define the returns but, as a cricket blogger, it would be worth citing the advance of Bangladesh team to the super eights of the world cup in 2007 though it would be more precise to say that India helped Bangladesh to advance further. And, the Kenyan team made it to the semis in 2003 once again at the cost of New Zealand when the Kenyan coach happened to be Sandip Patil - the one who coached India in 1996 world cup.

About Lance Klusner

Well a funny news has broken in the midst of all the ones covering the spot fixing controversies surrounding mainly the players from Pakistan that the former South African all rounder Lance Klusner has said "no" to the role of a Bangladesh coach. Very rarely does one come across the South African player who once upon a time gave it everything he could to the South African side way back in the 1999 world cup in England. Anyways, putting the past firmly behind, the current news which deals his rejection to the offer to be the Bangladesh coach should be a good move by Klusner.

Lance Klusner was offered the job which was done by a Sri Lanka in Champaka Ramanayake, the name which is being heard for the first time by most cricket followers. Champaka Ramanayake was forced to quit as the Bangladeshi coach owing to illness. It would have been an injustice and an insult to Lance Klusner, had he agreed to coach the Bangladeshi team for, that is the team which is placed in the bottom of the points table in all three formats of the game. And then, the BCB had approached Klusner not before approaching England's Andy Caddick, India's Venkatesh Prasad and West Indian Colin Croft.

Colin Croft was denied the job due to the fact that he was not experienced as a coach though the entire world has seen him as a fast bowler of the devastating West Indian team of the early 80s. He was the strike bowler of the then West Indies team that included the likes of Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Michael Holding and Malcom Marshall. With such a bowler not being given the job to coach the team that as mentioned falls in the bottom of the ICC points table, having Klusner do the job should be out of the BCB's way.

Lance Klusner should have been approached first before Caddick and Croft if anyone would ask me. I had my InMailBox saying a dozen things about his denial but, the right thing to do was to see another option for Klusner with the ICL closing the gates permanently not only for Klusner but for itself some two years back. Klusner was not included in the South African squad for mare than 6 years in tests and ODIs despite being the front runner in the 1999 world cup. Klusner is the only player till date to have been awarded the man of the series in a world cup despite his team not being able to make it to the finals of the same.