BCB looks to sign Bangar as coach

DHAKA: Bangladesh Cricket Board are looking to rope in former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar as the national team’s batting consultant specifically for red-ball cricket.

The cricket board hopes to avail the services of the 47-year-old ahead of the two-match Test series at home against Australia, scheduled for June. BCB were hoping to convince Neil McKenzie, currently serving as a consultant for the white-ball teams, to extend his role to the longer format but the former South Africa international is understood to be not keen on coaching all the formats on a regular basis.

“We have spoken with Bangar [for Test batting consultant] but nothing is finalized yet,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told reporters on Wednesday. “We are also negotiating with few others as well (for the Test batting consultant post).

“McKenzie is looking after the red-ball cricket despite being a white ball consultant and till we get a batting consultant for Test cricket we are expecting him to do the job [in red ball],” Chowdhury added. Bangar worked with the Indian team between 2014 and 2019. He also served as the team’s interim head coach on tours of Zimbabwe in 2016 and at West Indies in 2017.

Bangar didn’t receive a contract extension despite Ravi Shastri’s re-appointment as head coach after last year’s World Cup. He was replaced by Vikram Rathour.

According to BCB insiders, Bangar is expected to be contracted for 110 days from June 2020 till February 2021, if both parties agree to work together.