Bangladesh appoints Jamie Siddons as batting consultant

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has named Jamie Siddons as the batting consultant of the national team for a period of two years. Nazmul Hasan Papon, the BCB president, put forth the development on Friday, December 24. The Australian has prior experience of working with Tigers, although in a different capacity. Back in  2007, Siddons joined Bangladesh as their head coach and served four years.

However, the BCB refused the extend his contract after the Tigers failed to qualify for the quarter-final of the 2011 World Cup. He was shown the door after a few days following Bangladesh’s exit from the mega event. This time around, Siddons may also work with the U19 team going by the need of the hour.

BCB president speaks on Jamie Siddons’ appointment

“Hopefully in February he will arrive (and then) we’ll fix where he will work. If we feel he is needed in High Performance then he will work in that role. And if we feel if he is required in Under-19 setup, then he will work there or if he’s required in the senior national team then he will be deployed there,” Hasan was quoted as saying on Cricbuzz.

In the meantime, Jalal Yunus has been appointed as the BCB Cricket Operations Chairman. He replaced Akram Khan, who pulled out after citing personal and family commitments.

“I am not willing to continue as BCB’s cricket operation chairman anymore. I’ve been here for a long time. So, I need a mental and physical break,” Akram had told on December 21.

“Jalal Yunus, our Jalal bhai, will take over Cricket Operations. Look earlier what used to happen was that I used to clarify regarding every matter but now that will not be the case. They have been asked to take decisions on their respective committees and were instructed to answer the media when questions were raised about their committees,” Hasan said.

The Bangladesh cricket team is currently in New Zealand for their two-match Test series, starting December 28 with a two-day practice match. The red-ball matches are scheduled to start on Saturday, January 1.

The Tigers will then take part in the upcoming edition of the Bangladesh Premier League, starting January 21. Bangladesh recently lost their T20I and Test series against Pakistan at home.