Heath Streak resigns as Bangladesh bowling coach

Former Zimbabwean legend Heath Streak has stepped down as the bowling coach of the Bangladesh national team.

Streak had joined the national team way back in May 2014 and had been one of the pillar stones of the Bangladesh since then. The team flourished under him, particularly the bowling unit, and had made it to the quarter-finals of the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. This was the first instance when Bangladesh made it to the quarter-finals of a World Cup.

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Several new bowlers came to the fore and were developed under his guidance, Mustafizur Rahman, and Taskin Ahmed, being the two most prominent names in the list. Streak was highly obliged and thankful to the Bangladesh Cricket Board for giving him this opportunity.

“I have decided that I shall leave my role as National Bowling Coach when my contract expires at the end of the month,” quoted Streak. “I would like to thank the BCB for the opportunity afforded to me in 2014. It has been a thoroughly enjoyable experience and I will continue to follow Bangladesh’s progress closely. I feel now is the right time for me and my family to make this decision and I look forward to the future as I look to continue my coaching career,” he added further.

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The Bangladesh Cricket Board Chairman Akram Khan said that the management wanted Heath Streak to continue but then had to consider his decision to quit as the bowling coach. “We always want a settled unit for our coaching staff, so we actually wanted Streak to stay. However, if he wants to leave, we will not try to hold him back,” said Akram Khan.

He further added that the board now needs to find a good replacement for him as soon as possible and also confirmed Streak’s resignation. “He has informed the board. Now we will speed up our search for the new bowling coach,” he added.