Have dreamed of being involved with an international team: Courtney Walsh

Former West Indies great Courtney Walsh has joined the Bangladesh Cricket team as a specialist bowling coach. Walsh said that he had always dreamt of being a part of an international team.

On a lighter note, he said that he had never played in Bangladesh in a career spanning around 17 years and it is an opportunity to make some new friends. “I have always dreamed of being involved with an international team,” Walsh said in his first press conference in Dhaka on Sunday.

“There was a natural instinct to come here. I have never ever played in Bangladesh in my career. I played against them a couple of times. It was another chance to make new friends, and I always like challenges and get a satisfactory end result at the end of everything. It is a combination of both. I am happy to be here,” he said.

Walsh, who took 519 Test wickets and 227 in ODIs is coming in as a replacement of former Zimbabwean captain Heath Streak, who had done really well with the team in his tenure. “I am hoping by the time I leave Bangladesh, there will be much improvement. What really impressed me were the strides that Bangladesh Cricket Board wants to make for their players,” Walsh said.

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“They have gone leaps and bounds to improve the game. Obviously, they want to improve their rankings and I would like to be part of that,” he added.

Walsh went on to explain his role, Walsh wants to find another Ambrose in Bangladesh, “In terms of my role here in Bangladesh, I am not here just as a coach, I am here as a mentor as well. I have always been a part of cricket, as part of Jamaica and the West Indies. I always try to get a couple of fast bowlers under my wing to mentor.

“Curtly Ambrose was one of them. So if I can get a second Curtly Ambrose in Bangladesh I will be very happy because when he came into the team, I was one of the first one he looked up to and we probably had one of the best partnerships. So if I can pass that on to any two young Bangladeshi bowlers I will be very, very happy,” said Walsh.

Recently Bangladesh had appointed Thilan Samaraweera from Sri Lanka as their batting consultant ahead of the upcoming series against England. The officials had also informed that they are in the process of naming a spin bowling coach.