BCB hell-bent on transforming Bangladesh cricket with 3 new appointments ahead of Asia Cup 2025
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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced the signing of Alex Marshall, Julian Wood, and Tony Hemmings as the three new appointments after its meeting in Dhaka on Saturday.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board also looks to prepare itself for the upcoming domestic season and hence is making several administrative changes to the board, while they have also made a new inclusion to the Bangladesh team management ahead of the Asia Cup 2025.
Julian Wood is being brought in as the new batting coach for the coming three months in the Bangladesh side, as the specialist coach is known as a power-hitting specialist and had a brief stint with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board.
Marshall's joining brings ICC experience to BCB
Alex Marshall, the former general manager of the ICC's anti-corruption unit until September 2024, has been appointed as the new consultant for the board's anti-corruption department for the next year. BCB's media committee chair, Iftekhar Rahman, said that they want Marshall to 'enhance' the board's anti-corruption unit.
Rahman also said that the Bangladesh Cricket Board's appointment of the ICC's integrity unit has been made to oversee the BPL's anti-corruption operations.
This step was adopted since the BCB anti-corruption unit is currently investigating several corruption allegations from the BPL as well as the Dhaka Premier League.
Tony Hemming is back with the BCB after a stint with the PCB
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has also brought back Tony Hemming, who recently resigned as the PCB head curator. Before taking up the role with the Pakistan side, Hemming was seen in the role of BCB curator from July 2023 to July 2024.
"Tony Hemming has been appointed head of turf management for two years," Rahman said. "All our international venues and curators will be under him. He will also undertake the process of training Bangladeshi curators. All the board directors had a lot of interest in bringing him back.
Hemming's appointment raised a question on the role of Gamini Silva, the curator of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. However, Rahman has informed that he has been given a one-year extension.
"Hemming is one of the best curators in the world. Maybe he had a good experience with the Bangladesh Cricket Board in the previous occasion, that's why he agreed to come back. The turf management will run as Hemming will want. Time will tell if Gamini will stay or not. He has been given a 12-month extension."
BCB introduced Mymensingh as a new first-class team
The Bangladesh Board also introduced Mymensingh as the latest addition to the first-class domestic tournaments. It will replace the former team, Dhaka Metropolis, which was introduced back in 2011 to make it an even number of teams in first-class competition.
"Mymensingh is one of the country's newest divisions," Rahman said. "They will play in the NCL first-class tournament from the coming season. They will replace Dhaka Metropolis."
"Mymensingh will play all divisional tournaments, though we can't accommodate them in the upcoming NCL T20s as the schedule has been made. Mymensingh will play in the T20 tournament from the next edition," he concluded.
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