McMillan pulls out from Bangladesh coaching role

DHAKA: Former New Zealand cricketer Craig McMillan on Saturday pulled out as Bangladesh’s batting consultant for their series in Sri Lanka starting in October because of a bereavement, the Bangladesh Cricket Board said.

“Craig has communicated to us that his father has passed away recently and therefore it would not be possible for him to take up the batting consultant’s position of the National Team for the upcoming tour at this moment of grief,” BCB Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said in a statement.

“We fully understand his situation. Our sympathies are with Craig and his family during this difficult time,” he said.

Bangladesh had appointed McMillan in August for the tour after former South African batsman Neil McKenzie stepped down from the post because of the coronavirus crisis.

McMillan, 44, was scheduled to join Bangladesh’s pre-tour training camp in Sri Lanka, the national board had said.

The three-Test series, expected to start in mid-October, will mark both countries’ return to international cricket after pandemic lockdowns.

McMillan scored more than 8,000 international runs for New Zealand in 55 Tests, 197 one-day internationals and eight Twenty20 internationals before retiring in 2007.

He later became New Zealand’s batting and fielding coach from 2014 to 2019.

He also had coaching roles with Canterbury in New Zealand, Middlesex in England and Indian Premier League team Kings XI Punjab.