Bangladesh Confirm Stuart MacGill as Spin Coach
Aug 10, 2017 at 11:44 AM
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), on Wednesday (August 9), confirmed appointing former Australia spinner Stuart MacGill as the new spin coach. The board is now waiting for the arrival of the 46-year-old, subject to him obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from Cricket Australia.
Last month, BCB president Nazmul Hasan, after the board meeting, had told the media that the board communicated with almost 10 to 12 coaches and MacGill was the front-runner to land the job.
“We have been looking for a spin bowling coach for a long time now and finally have made a shortlist where Australia’s Stuart MacGill is at the very top. The board is in communication and hopefully, the negotiation will reach a point. The appointment, however, will initially be made for the short-term. Whoever gets the appointment will first want to observe and see the working conditions and then think of the long-term. The appointment is likely to be made ahead of the home series against Australia,” Nazmul had said.
MacGill will replace Ruwan Kalpage who was sacked last year after his refusal to arrive on time. Since then, the board was trying to rope in a coach for the spinners.
Meanwhile, according to the report in Cricbuzz, the BCB officials are still apprehensive of whether MacGill would start plying his trade before the two-Test series against Australia which starts on August 27. But at the same time, the officials are confident that the ex-Aussie international won’t take too long to arrive.
“We have confirmed MacGill,” BCB cricket operation chairman Akram Khan. “We are waiting for him to get his NOC from CA.
“Even if we don’t get him before the series against Australia we are sure we will have him in our dressing as soon as he obtains the required documents to work here,” he added.
MacGill, meanwhile, is considered as one of the unluckiest cricketers. Despite being immensely talented, he never managed to become a regular in the Australian team due to the presence of Shane Warne. He finished his career with 44 Tests and three ODIs, picking up 208 and six wickets, respectively.