Nic Pothas named Bangladesh’s assistant coach ahead of ODI series against Ireland

The Bangladesh Cricket Board recently announced former South Africa batter Nic Pothas as the new assistant coach of the side. Pothas has a few years of experience in coaching, having been the interim coach of West Indies and Sri Lanka in the last six years. He was the interim fielding and assistant coach of the West Indies (2018–2019) and the leading fielding coach of Sri Lanka (2017–2018).

Notably, before joining the Bangladesh setup, Pothas was the wicketkeeping coach of the English County Cricket Club, Hampshire. Being the assistant coach for Bangladesh would be familiar territory for the 49-year-old, and the side will hope that it can bear fruit for them. During his time as a player, Pothas was unable to make a mark in international cricket.

The keeper-batter played three ODIs for South Africa, where he only managed to score 24 runs. He did have 11438 runs to his name in 218 first-class matches. As the new assistant coach of Bangladesh, Pothas will be joining the likes of Chandika Hathurusinghe, Allan Donald, Rangana Herath, Jamie Siddons, and Shane McDermott, who are all part of the coaching staff of the team.

I am honoured to commit to the Bangladesh National Team: Pothas

Following his appointment as Bangladesh’s assistant coach, Nic Pothas came forward to reflect on what the role meant to him and what his goals with the team were going forward.

"I am honoured to commit to the Bangladesh National Team. The depth and array of talent running through Bangladesh is exceptional, and I believe we have some exciting years ahead of us," Pothas was quoted as saying by Bangladesh Cricket.

The South African will be joining the team for the next two years, and he will be with Bangladesh for their upcoming ODI series against Ireland. Both sides will face each other for a three-match ODI series, which is scheduled to begin on May 9, 2023.

The Tigers have been in sensational form in white-ball cricket recently, and they will hope that the same will be the case when they take on Ireland. It could be interesting to see how Pothas’ appointment could help them in the future.