Uncertainty, complications and bad news regarding Bangladesh’s upcoming tour of Sri Lanka seem to have no end. Now, Craig Macmillan, who was hired as the Tigers' batting consultant last month, will not be taking charge of the team due to the death of his father. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the matter in a press release on Saturday.
The former New Zealand batsman, who replaced Neil McKenzie, informed BCB that he is unavailable to work with the national team for the tour of Sri Lanka that is yet to be finalized.
Nizamuddin Chowdhury, chief executive of the country’s highest governing body for cricket, said: “Craig has contacted us to say that his father has recently passed away and it will not be possible for him to take up the role of national team’s batting consultant during the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. We fully understand his condition. We have sympathy for Craig and his family during this difficult time.”
McMillan was appointed the batting consultant of the Bangladesh national team for their upcoming three-Test tour of Sri Lanka. McMillan and his countryman Daniel Vettori were informed by the BCB to come to Dhaka first and later go to Sri Lanka with the squad if the tour eventually was to happen. This was to ensure that they don't get into any quarantine problems though initially they were expected to directly join the squad in Sri Lanka.
The fate of the tour is still hanging in the balance as the BCB is yet to get any response from their Sri Lankan counterparts after former's rejection of the mandatory 14-day quarantine.
The BCB announced on August 25 that McMillan would be added to the coaching panel after Neil Mackenzie resigned as Bangladesh's batting coach.
The former New Zealand cricketer was the batting coach of his country's national team from 2014 to 2019. He also has experience working with Canterbury and Middlesex in English county cricket and Kings XI Punjab in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
McMillan also expressed interest in working with Bangladesh in all editions after being appointed batting consultant. Like McKenzie, Macmillan also resigned due to family reasons. Amid uncertainties over the tour of Sri Lanka, BCB will now have to find a new batting consultant or coach.
