Shane Jurgensen's two-and-a-half-year journey with Bangladesh officially came to an end yesterday after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) accepted his resignation following a board meeting at Mirpur.
Jurgensen, who tendered his resignation on April 28, said that it was a 'combination of reasons' that led to him taking the decision.
The Australian, who was contracted with the board till 2015, in his resignation letter had mentioned that he was unhappy about reports in the media, which quoted an anonymous BCB director saying that the board was looking for a new head coach; which turned out to be one of the main reasons behind the decision.
The only question that remained was whether the Australian would leave immediately or after the scheduled India series in June. Following an hour-long meeting with BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon yesterday, where the Australian was asked to reconsider the decision, Jurgensen said that it was mutually agreed that he would be released with immediate effect.
The outgoing coach thanked the BCB for the offer, but he preferred to stay closer to his young family after spending six years abroad.
The BCB, on their part, have formed a five-member committee that will work on bringing in Bangladesh's next coach. The committee includes three former captains -- Naimur Rahman, Akram Khan and Khaled Mahmud. Members of the board claim that they have already got in touch with five to six foreign coaches and Papon reckons that they can replace Jurgensen within a month and a half. He however, dismissed the idea of hiring a long-term local coach.
"If we don't get a coach before the India series then we might hire a local interim coach. However, we believe that we need a foreign coach to take the responsibility of the team for the World Cup in 2015," said Papon.
Jurgensen joined Bangladesh as their bowling coach in October 2011. He was appointed the interim head coach in October 2012 after the departure of Richard Pybus. The national team's good performances led to the board signing the Australian until the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.