Bangladesh Team Director Khaled Mahmud launches scathing attack on team environment

What's the story?

Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud launched a scathing attack on the team and its players. The former skipper has termed the environment surrounding the side as 'dirty'.

Mahmud's outbursts come in the wake of Bangladesh's defeat against Sri Lanka at home in both the ODI and Test format with the 46-year-old believing that he is being unfairly targeted for the losses.

"The board will decide whether I should be going to the Nidihas Trophy (tour to Sri Lanka in March). The fact that I am still around after our defeats is the biggest talking point," a visibly irked Mahmud told reporters on Monday.

"A lot of big coaches started off with bad results. Bangladesh's performance may be because of our planning but there are more stories," he added, suggesting that the players were not taking responsibility for their failures.

"Personally I am no longer interested to work with Bangladesh cricket," Mahmud said. "I honestly feel it is becoming very dirty. I have always worked for the development of Bangladesh cricket, but I am no longer interested."

In case you didn't know...

Mahmud's words came just a few hours after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made it clear that their search for a full-time replacement for Chandika Hathurusingha, who left his post as head coach of the Bangladesh side in November last year, was still continuing.

The BCB have rejected the applications of former coach Richard Pybus, who served at the helm of the team's affairs from 2010 to 2012, as well as West Indian Phil Simmons, who worked wonders with the Ireland team during his tenure as coach of the European team.

The heart of the matter

Following the angry outburst, it remains to be seen whether Mahmud continues in his role as team director. The former Bangladesh all-rounder is visibly upset at the whole environment surrounding the national cricket team, including the role played by the media.

Mahmud was irked by media reports surrounding Mosaddek Hossain’s omission from the second Test squad, many of which stated that the 22-year-old had been released to help Abahani Limited in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League - a side which Mahmud had served as head coach in the past couple of years.

Mahmud, who was also part of the selection panel, defended his thought process and felt that the players who had been picked simply didn't put in enough effort like the opposition.

What's next?

Having lost both the Test and ODI series, Bangladesh will be hoping to achieve some consolation with a win in the 2-match T20I series against Sri Lanka which begins on Thursday.

The team will then head to Sri Lanka for the Nidahas Twenty20 tri-series which also features India.

Author's take

Bangladesh has enjoyed plenty of success in the recent past and the struggles against a not-so-strong Sri Lankan side do come as a bit surprising, especially as the Tigers are playing in their own backyard.

Hathurusingha's exit hasn't helped the team and it is vital that the BCB find an able replacement to lead the side, especially with Mahmud seemingly giving up on his role amidst the feeling of helplessness and poor attitude from the players.