Allan Donald to step down as Bangladesh fast-bowling coach after "we don't stand for this" remark on Shakib-Mathews timed-out saga

Bangladesh's fast-bowling coach Allan Donald will step down from the position after the team's last match of the 2023 World Cup against Australia on Saturday, November 11. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the South African legend informed the team of his decision in a team meeting in Pune on Thursday, November 9.

It brings an end to an almost 20-month tenure. He was initially appointed for the 2022 T20 World Cup but his contract was extended after the board saw an improvement in the performance of the team's pacer.

The stepping-down announcement comes just days after Donald courted controversy for his public statement against Bangladesh captain Shakib al Hasan's decision to appeal of 'timed-out' against Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews on Monday, November 6.

Soon after his comments went viral, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced they'd seek an "explanation" from the coach regarding it.

Coming back to Monday's match, after the fall of the fourth Sri Lankan wicket, Mathews wasn't ready to face his first ball within the stipulated time of two minutes.

When he walked to the crease, the on-field umpires informed him that he had 30 seconds left to be ready. He almost took his guard after 25 of those but then the chip strap of his helmet broke and more time was lapsed in getting it changed. Shakib appealed in the meantime and the on-field umpires upheld it.

Mathews called the incident a "disgrace" in the post-match press conference and fumed more on social media. The teams didn't shake hands after the match either.

In an interview after the game, Donald said he thought of going onto the field and putting an end to the drama.

"The most sensible thing would have been to just say, 'Okay, no worries, mate, sort your helmet out quickly; you have time to replace it'," the former South African pacer told CricBlog.Net.

"My immediate reaction when that happened - and this is just [that] my instincts would have taken over - is I almost actually thought of going on that field and saying, 'enough is enough, we don't stand for this; we are not that kind of team who stand for this'. That was my immediate thought," he added.

Donald further stated that although he understood Shakib's anything-to-win stance, he found it difficult to see one of Sri Lanka's all-time greats walk out without facing a ball.

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More members of the Bangladesh coaching set-up might follow Allan Donald's exit route

More changes are expected in the Bangladesh set-up. Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, assistant coach Nick Pothas, spin-bowling coach Rangana Herath, and fielding coach Shane McDermott could all lose their contracts in the coming days.

Bangladesh's win over Sri Lanka was only the second in the 2023 World Cup. They were the first to be eliminated from the race to the semi-finals and are still fighting to make it to the 2025 Champions Trophy by finishing in the top eight of the World Cup league stage.