‘Wasn’t a hard decision’- Phil Simmons after being chosen as new Bangladesh coach

The head coach Chandika Hathurusingha was fired by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) following a claim that he had become physical with a cricket player during the 2023 ODI World Cup. Before the South Africa series, the apex council first suspended him before firing him. Phil Simmons, a former West Indies player who is eager to work with the young players, was named the new head coach shortly after. Simmons believes Bangladesh will perform well in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa.

Simmons also disclosed that, ten days prior to announcing Hathurusingha’s resignation, BCB had contacted him. “It wasn’t a hard decision for me,” the 61-year-old said, adding that he was impressed with the performance of the Najmul Shanto-led team in the Test series against Pakistan, which they won 0–2 away from home.

The attraction stems from observing the young athletes and their talent. watching a few Pakistan Test matches and observing how they performed during those matches. Simmons was reported by The Daily Star as saying, “That is the best T20 team in the world at the moment, even though the T20s in India didn’t go well.”

All of it came to an assignment, which I found enjoyable. Two, there are Test matches, 50-overs, and everything of that; and third, there are new players to nurture. Thus, he continued, “it wasn’t a difficult choice.

Our chances of winning the Test series against South Africa are excellent: Phil Simmons

On October 21, Bangladesh will kick off their two-match Test series against South Africa. They lost badly to India in the two-match series, but they just trounced Pakistan. Despite this, Simmons, Bangladesh’s new coach, is optimistic and thinks his team has what it takes to win the ongoing series against South Africa.

“This is undoubtedly a favorable chance. At home, Bangladeshis tend to be very powerful. Thus, it is a great chance for us to win the Test series.

Also Read: Legendary Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed joins Bangladesh team as spin trainer

Though they are a resilient team, South Africa’s record of losing on the subcontinent over the past ten years hangs over them. They’ll put a lot of effort into changing it,” Simmons stated.