Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have parted ways with national team head coach Steve Rhodes on Monday, after what many consider a debacle World Cup campaign. Rhodes contract with the board was until the ICC World T20 in Australia next year but the board decided to terminate his contract through mutual consent.
"We have decided to part ways with the head coach by mutual consent. The decision will be effective immediately," BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury told agencies on Monday.
"The board had a review following the Pakistan match (Bangladesh's last at the World Cup) in a meeting in London," Nizamuddin Chowdhury was quoted. "There it was decided that the BCB and Steve Rhodes will not continue on their agreement. The BCB has not yet decided on a new coach for the Sri Lanka series, which is their next assignment," he added.
However, ahead of their final game, against Pakistan, Rhodes expressed confidence that his team, as an ODI unit, has taken giant strides, lauding them for their competitive spirit despite failing to move into the semis. Therefore. It seems he had a willingness to continue with the Tigers. Question also raises whether it was Rhodes who was only responsible for team’s poor show in England. Some of the senior player underperformed massively and it is the coach who had to face all the fire at the end. It was a collective failure in World Cup and Rhodes should have given more time to prove his worth. Now replacing Rhodes, will be a stern test for the BCB. As there is lack of high profile coaches or a coach with tough mentality. There was a rumor that Rhodes was a lenient figure in the dressing room and was not a great planner. Former coach Chandika Hathurusingha’s name came into folds as Rhodes replacement but the move looks unlikely as he is eager to continue with the Lankans.
However, under Rhodes, Bangladesh strengthened their status as an emerging ODI force, winning series against West Indies [both home and away], and Zimbabwe, as well as the tri-nation series involving West Indies and Ireland, all in the last 12 months. They lost to India in a closely-fought final of the 2018 Asia Cup, which ended with a last-ball finish.
In the 2019 World Cup, Bangladesh put in consistent performances with the bat, but could not complement it on the field, with erratic bowling and frequent spills often hurting their results. They ended eight on the points table with three wins in nine games, losing five. Their fixture against Sri Lanka was rained out. Therefore, in his one year tenure Rhodes reign was not a disaster at all. The culture of chopping and changing coaches should be changed as consistency is the key to success.
BCB also confirmed coach Rhodes will not travel with the team to Sri Lanka, where Bangladesh will play three one-day internationals later this month. It is likely that team manager Khaled Mahmud Sujon will lead the team as head coach in Sri Lanka.
