MacGill declines Bangladesh spin coaching job

DHAKA: Former Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill has turned down a Bangladesh offer to join the side ahead of the two-Test series against his home country, a senior cricket official said on Thursday.

Bangladesh were hoping to get some inside knowledge from MacGill, who took 208 wickets in 44 Tests for Australia, before the crucial home series against Steven Smith’s team beginning later this month.

MacGill was expected to join another Australian, Mark O’Neill, on the Bangladesh backroom staff for the tour by the world number four-ranked nation.

“You know that our president (Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hassan) already cleared it that Stuart MacGill was our first choice as spin bowling coach,” BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury said.

“(But) for some of his personal reasons he cannot join the team at the moment,” Chowdhury told reporters here at a press briefing.“We will now go for our second or third option. We hope within a day or two we will be able to tell something about this,” he said.

Bangladesh have been without a spin bowling coach since the BCB sacked Sri Lankan Ruwan Kalpage, who failed to report for duty following a deadly extremist attack at a posh Dhaka cafe in July last year.  —AFP