Simmons said ahead of the first Test, according to Cricinfo. Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has dismissed suggestions of turmoil within the team following the removal of batting coach Mohammad Ashraful, insisting that the players remain focused on their upcoming two-Test series against West Indies. “Is this the first time there’s chaos before a match? “Every series is important. But the thing is how we go about our preparation for the series. I think that the group that was here have been excellent in the last three or four days. They’ve been doing their work and now the whole team joins together. It’s what we do over the next two days, not what’s happening outside; it’s what we do as a team to prepare.”
Those that we played earlier in the year were important too.
Simmons also reflected on his previous experience in Bangladesh as West Indies head coach, when his team won the Test series 2-0 in 2021. That tour included Kyle Mayers’ unbeaten 210 in a successful fourth-innings chase in Chattogram. The move has prompted speculation that the board’s decision was linked to the team’s recent performances, while reports suggest the BCB is also looking to appoint another batting coach ahead of the tour of South Africa. Bangladesh are currently fourth in the World Test Championship standings and view the series as an important opportunity to strengthen their position in the race to reach the final. Their drawn Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi attracted criticism, with questions raised over whether Bangladesh’s batters had been sufficiently proactive. Simmons defended the team’s approach, saying the players had followed the instructions of the team management and that the pitch had played better than anticipated on the final day.
The decision came after Bangladesh’s mixed results in the UAE earlier this month, where they drew a one-off Test against Afghanistan before losing matches against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe in the ODI tri-series. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Saturday that Ashraful had been reassigned from his role as batting coach, with Mohammad Salahuddin appointed to take over on an interim basis.
