West Indies great Courtney Walsh is set to take over as bowling coach of the Bangladesh cricket team on a three-year contract.
Walsh, who was the first bowler to take 500 test wickets, has worked as a West Indies selector since he retired as a player but has not held a senior coaching role at the international level.
The 53-year-old Walsh says Bangladesh have a “seriously talented bunch of players” and he’s looking forward to working with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha as a replacement for specialist bowling coach Heath Streak.
“Obviously the West Indies is my home but the chance to go in a new direction in coaching at the international level with a talented group, was one I couldn’t let that opportunity pass,” he said.
Walsh made his Test debut in 1984 and retired in 2001 with 519 Test wickets after a career that started during the West Indies’ dominating run in the international game, typified by fearsome pace bowling and brazenly attacking batting.
He also took 227 wickets in 205 limited-overs internationals, including career-best bowling figures of 5-1 against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in 1986.
Walsh retired not long after Bangladesh played its very first Test – against India in 2000.
While Bangladesh has struggled to adjust to the five-day Test format – not winning a match until 2005 and not having a major breakthrough until back-to-back wins in the West Indies in 2009 – they have performed better in the limited-overs versions.
Last year, Bangladesh reached the quarterfinals of the World Cup and also won limited-overs series against South Africa, Pakistan and India.
