BCB show interest in roping Sanjay Bangar as Test batting consultant

 
The Bangladesh cricket board has shown interest in roping former Indian batting coach, Sanjay Bangar as their batting consultant for the Test fold. The Bangladesh board is hopeful of signing the former Indian all-rounder before the home Test series against Australia, set to be played in June.

Meanwhile, BCB was looking to get Neil McKenzie, who is currently serving as the white-ball batting consultant, on board for the Test matches too but the former Proteas batsman has reportedly refused the offer to coach in all the three formats on a regular basis. However, McKenzie is currently filling in the shoes of a red-ball consultant since the job is vacant.

“We have spoken with Bangar [for Test batting consultant] but nothing is finalized yet,” BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury told reporters on Wednesday (March 18). “We are also negotiating with few others as well [for the Test batting consultant post].

“McKenzie is looking after the red-ball cricket despite being a white ball consultant and till we get a batting consultant for Test cricket we are expecting him to do the job [in red ball],” Chowdhury added.

Sanjay Bangar has the right experience of coaching under his belt and he had done a fine job for the Indian team when he served as the batting coach from 2014 to 2019. In fact, Bangar also stepped up as the interim head coach on the 2016 Zimbabwe tour and also did the same on the West Indies tour in 2017.

Meanwhile, Sanjay Bangar’s contract as the Indian batting coach wasn’t extended after India’s heartbreaking exit from the 2019 World Cup. The contracts of the rest of the team management, head coach Ravi Shastri and bowling coach Bharat Arun, however were extended by the BCCI.

India could not solve their number four woes during Bangar’s tenure and the batting coach had to suffer the brunt.

According to reports, it is understood that Sanjay Bangar will be offered a temporary contract of 110 days by the BCB which will run from June 2020 to February 2021, if both parties decide to enter the deal.

Written by: Gautam Chauhan