BCB Not to Renew Contract With Fielding Coach Ryan Cook

Ryan Cook, the fielding coach of the national cricket team became the first staff of the coaching panel to be dismissed after Bangladesh’s disastrous T20 World Cup campaign in UAE and Oman.

Akram Khan, director and also the chairman of Cricket Operations informed the update, disclosing that the board is not signing a new contract with him.

The BCB had a contract with the South African coach until the T20 World Cup.

Cook was the only retained coach after Bangladesh’s disappointing 2019 ODI World Cup campaign.

"We are not getting Cook. He will be replaced by a local coach. We will finalize it on November 16. His (Cook) contract is in the last stage. We are not renewing the contract,” Akram said today, reports BSS.

Local coach Sohail Islam has worked with the national team as a fielding coach several times. It is learned that he is being recruited for the Pakistan series. But according to Akram, BCB is also looking for foreign coaches.

 “We are also looking for a high-quality fielding coach. We hope to get it in a month,” he added.

In this T20 World Cup Bangladesh had dropped as many as 10 catches after which Cook’s position became vulnerable. Those who were considered as the good fielders had failed the most. Liton Das and Mahedi Hasan put down two catches each. Young cricketers like Afif Hossain missed a vital catch while senior players like Mahmudullah and Shakib dropped crucial catches. Most of the time the team has to pay high for dropping catches.

For a long time, the situation in fielding in Bangladesh has been almost the same with numerous opportunities being missed, causing the side’s defeat in some matches which they were on track to win.  

Cook was hired in July 2018 on the advice of Garry Kirsten. He had no experience in international cricket at that time. He was the head coach and performance director of Garry Kirsten Cricket Academy in Cape Town. He had a contract until the 2019 ODI World Cup. At the end of the ODI World Cup, all the coaching staff including head coach Steve Rhodes was sacked but Cook was retained.