Bangladesh batting coach Ashwell Prince resigns ahead of SA tour

Bangladesh Cricket Board Chief Executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury confirmed that Bangladesh men’s senior team batting coach Ashwell Prince resigned from his post with immediate effect. The former South African middle-order-batter joined the Tigers in August last year.

His contract was meant to run till the T20 World Cup in Australia this year. However, keeping the South African tour in mind, the Bangladesh Cricket Board extended his contract

“He (Ashwell) has resigned and we have received his resignation letter,” said Nizamuddin as quoted by Crizbuzz. “As a result, Prince will not travel with the Bangladesh side for the upcoming South Africa tour.”

Ashwell who played 66 Tests, 52 ODIs, and a solitary T20I for South Africa between 2002 and 2011, began his coaching career at the Cobras, one of the domestic sides in South Africa. Ashwell is the second member of the Bangladesh coaching panel to opt-out of the set-up after Ottis Gibson recently decided to not extend his contract. It is understood that the BCB’s decision to employ their newly appointed batting consultant Jamie Siddons in the national setup played a part in his decision

Bangladesh looking to rebuild after a disappointing World T20

The Bangla Tigers will be facing a stiff challenge in their upcoming tour to South Africa. After their disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup last year, they will be looking forward to performing well and gathering some crucial World Test Championship points under their belt. Bangladesh were one of the biggest disappointments of the 2021 tournament, losing to Scotland by six wickets in their opening game and barely recovering after that initial setback. The Tigers did make it to the Super 12 stage, but they lost all five games, heavily too, to finish bottom of the six teams.

On the other hand, they had a great start to Test cricket in 2021, drawing the Test series 1-1 against New Zealand earlier this year. The one victory there was the Bay Oval test. Ebadot Hossain led the tigers’ charge and picked a 6-wicket haul and Bangladesh stunned the World Test champions for their first-ever victory in an international fixture in New Zealand. Bangladesh’s new-look batting order, who had a decent outing in the series against the Kiwis, will be looking to capitalize on the opportunities they get.