Allan Donald is set to end his stint as the pace bowling coach for the Bangladesh cricket team once their ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 journey concludes. The decision comes after Bangladesh’s exit from the World Cup semifinals race, with their final league match against Australia scheduled for Saturday.
During a team meeting, Donald informed the players about his choice to step down, as reported by Cricbuzz. A top official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed the news.
“He told us in the team meeting that he won’t continue with us after this World Cup,” the official said.
Donald joined the BCB in March last year for the T20 World Cup in Australia, and his contract was extended until the ODI World Cup in India after performing well in the role.
The decision to part ways with Donald reportedly follows BCB seeking an explanation from him regarding comments on Angelo Mathews‘ timed-out dismissal, despite being part of Bangladesh’s coaching staff.
“He had the option to share his personal views later. As a part of the team management, speaking about team decisions publicly violates the code of conduct. He could have discussed it within the team or directly with the player. Informing the BCB could have been done privately, not in public,” the official added.
In response to the BCB seeking an explanation, Donald remained composed.
“I’m fine with it if they (BCB) want an explanation. As far as I’m concerned, the explanation was already in the news today,” Donald said.
Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign has been disappointing, with only two wins in eight matches. They began with a victory over Afghanistan but faced six consecutive defeats, leading to their elimination from the semifinal race.