Phil Simmons. (Source – Getty Images)
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) parted ways with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha after a report emerged of him getting physical with a cricketer during the ODI World Cup 2023. The apex council first suspended him and then sacked him ahead of the South Africa series. Soon after that, former West Indies international Phil Simmons was announced as the new head coach, who is excited to work with the youngsters and expects Bangladesh to do well in the upcoming Test series against South Africa.
Simmons also revealed that BCB reached out to him approximately 10 days back, much before they announced Hathurusingha’s departure. Speaking on the same, the 61-year-old stated that it wasn’t a hard decision for him and was impressed with Najmul Shanto-led team’s performance in the Test series against Pakistan, which they won 0-2 away from home.
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“The interest comes from seeing the young players and the quality that they have. Watching some of the Pakistan Test matches and seeing how they handled themselves in some of those Test matches. Then the T20s in India didn’t go well but that is the best T20 team in the world at present,” Simmons was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
“It is all added up to an assignment, which I enjoyed. One, young players to develop, two, there are Test matches, 50-overs and everything involved. So, it wasn’t a hard decision,” he added.
It is a very good opportunity for us to win the Test series vs South Africa: Simmons
Bangladesh’s two-match Test series against South Africa will begin on October 21. They recently defeated Pakistan but suffered a crushing defeat to India in the two-match series. Despite so, Bangladesh’s new coach Simmons is hopeful and believes that they have all it takes to defeat South Africa in the upcoming series.
“It is definitely a good opportunity. Bangladesh are usually very strong at home. So, it is a very good opportunity for us to win the Test series. South Africa has that (record of not winning in the sub-continent in the last 10 years) hanging over their heads but they are a resilient team. They will work hard to change that,” Simmons said.