Can Gary Kirsten deliver Bangladesh the appropriate head coach?

The appointment of Gary Kirsten as a consultant is a very good move, but….

Since Chandika Hathurusingha left, time has flown away very fast. One of the biggest political party’s Chief Begum Khaleda Zia got arrested, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s position continues to improve, Bangladesh has launched a satellite in space, Geopolitically Bangladesh’s importance towards and thankfully, Bangladesh have moved to number eight in the ICC Test ranking for the first time. 

But since the departure of  Chandika, few things have not changed: The Dhaka traffic, harassment of doctors, the continuous deterioration of education system and search for the head-coach of Tigers. Bangladesh are still without a head coach and when the search will end, no one knows. It’s not that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is not trying heart and soul, but deep down, even they know, the way Chandika left the job, has created a bad impression in the international arena.

BCB decided to rope in former South African batsman and coach Gary Kirsten as the consultant of Bangladesh. BCB boss Nazmul Hassan confirmed that Kirsten's first order of business will be to find the national team a new head coach.

“Kirsten is working out with a few probable [head coach] candidates and trying to find out a suitable one that would serve our purpose,” Hassan told reporters. “He is interviewing the players and coaching staff to know what kind of coach we need and also talking with us [about the development],” he said.

“He will give his proposal and also will come up with a presentation after having a look at the list of coaches. Later, we will finalise who we believe will be better for us,” he added.

 Appointment of Kirsten as the consultant is an appreciative move by BCB and at the other side of the coin, perhaps, Bangladesh are the first team in world cricket who have hired a consultant to search an appropriate head coach. This indicates, how battered the image of our cricketing officials is after Chandika's departure.   

But let us be positive about this appointment as because Kirsten not only has a lot of experience under his belt, but at the same time, he owns that respected image globally, which helps him to approach any big names in world cricket without any formalities. The man’s words bear enough weight and this would help BCB to reap a rich harvest.

But it’s a world which demands results and at the end of the day, Kirsten would be judged on the basis of what he would deliver. It would be very important for Kirsten and Bangladesh to keep in mind, running after the big names won’t be helpful, but it would be a fine investment if the faith is kept in those coaches who are competent enough either in County Cricket or Shield Cricket.

When Chandika was appointed as the coach, neither was he a big name nor did he have a great record as an international cricketer. But gradually, he changed the face of our cricket, which none can ever deny. Then there was Jamie Siddons, who had sown the seed of how to break down sweat in the nets by saying, working harder doesn’t mean to build muscles in the gym, but by practicing hours after hours in the nets on your batting and bowling, which helps to iron out the chinks in one’s armory.

Bangladesh cricketers are prone to become complacent and for which they need a hard taskmaster. He would also have to have that skill to manage the notorious media of Bangladesh and work intelligently on the temperamental aspect of Tigers who are showing signs of losing the match mentally whenever the going gets tough in longer-formats.

Then, there are those issues off the field…..

Bangladesh’s cricket culture is still under construction. It’s not mature enough like England, Australia or India. Here, the most important things get unnoticed for the sake of silly and less important issues. The media – controlled by some prominent names in the team - tends to create a pseudo-hype, which at times make life tough for the coach.

Chandika conquered such issues for two years, but at the end, even a tough character like Chandika lost to the negative propaganda and filthy politics. Over the years, along with success, entered politics within this team, which is a cocktail of some people from the media and prominent names in Bangladesh cricket.

Kirsten cannot but deny this aspect while searching for a head coach for Bangladesh.  

Whether Kirsten could manage a head coach for Bangladesh or not, only time can answer, but whoever would be interested to take the job of Tigers, needs to be a smart and tough and it’s a must. 

Note: This article is published at Cricketsoccer on 20/05/2018 Can Gary Kirsten deliver Bangladesh the appropriate head coach?  

Thank You

Faisal Caesar