Headache over head coach lingers

A dismal show from the Bangladesh team consisting of three consecutive defeats in the Super 12 stage of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup had not only thrown them virtually out of the contention for the semi-final spot but had casted serious doubt over head coach Russell Domingo's future with the side.

A barrage of criticism aimed at the Tigers' preparation for the marquee event had been activated earlier with the shocking six-run defeat to Scotland in the opening game of the qualifier stage.

Although Bangladesh had arrived at the centre stage, with seemingly full guns blazing, on the back of two home series triumphs over Australia and New Zealand, the lack of preparation from the batters' perspective on a slow Mirpur surface was brutally exposed.

While many are pointing fingers at Domingo's long term approach to improve Bangladesh as a solid unit in the shortest format, however, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) high-ups have resorted to blaming the cricketers on the frontlines.

"Look, we don't only want to blame the coaching staff for the poor performance of the team, rather the players should also take some responsibility for their below par show on the field," said a BCB top official requesting anonymity.

"If a batsman kept repeating the same mistakes, by playing a particular shot in a crucial time, and lost his wickets or the best fielders in the team dropped simple catches of first-division standard, you can't only raise fingers on the coaching staff. I think both the coaching staff and the players need to work together and improve as a unit."

The board's stance only indicates continuity, a sense of going with the flow, since they had, just before the World Cup, extended Domingo's contract for two years under a strong termination clause -- which states six months of salary to be given in case of a broken agreement -- in favour of the South African.

It was also learned that Domingo had informed the board prior to the World Cup that he has an offer in the English County league and was willing to jump ship if his contract was not extended further.  History tells us that poor performances from the Bangladesh team in the global events saw the head coach turned into a scapegoat, with Steve Rhodes being the last individual who was sacked following the subpar performance in the ICC 2019 ODI World Cup.

Among various factors, another major reason for retaining Domingo is the lack of interest from the high-profile coaches to work for a full-time basis.

The current situation, coupled with his differences with some of the senior players in the side, has certainly put Domingo under the scanner as many are gravitating towards the opinion of grooming local coaches to assume bigger roles, in an attempt to rid the Tigers of the everlasting headache over the head coach position.