Synopsis
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has appointed Sarwar Imran as the new head coach for the women's national team, taking over from Hashan Tillakaratne. This decision reflects BCB's commitment to nurturing local coaching talent.Key Takeaways
- BCB appoints Sarwar Imran as head coach.
- Imran replaces Hashan Tillakaratne.
- Focus on local coaching talent development.
- Bangladesh prepares for ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
- Competing against West Indies, Pakistan, and others.
New Delhi, Feb 11 (NationPress) The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Sarwar Imran, a seasoned coach, as the new head coach for the national women’s cricket team, succeeding Hashan Tillakaratne, who recently left the role.
BCB president Faruque confirmed the decision on Tuesday, emphasizing the board's dedication to empowering local coaches at the highest levels.
“We have chosen Imran as the head coach for our national women's team after the position opened up following Hashan's departure. When I assumed my role, I vowed to provide local coaches with a platform within the national framework. This appointment is in line with that commitment. If we do not delegate responsibilities to them, how can we evaluate their skills?” Faruque stated, as reported by Cricbuzz.
Imran previously held the position of head coach for the men’s national team during their inaugural Test match against India in 2000. He has also been instrumental in nurturing emerging cricketers over the years. Most recently, he led the Bangladesh U-19 women’s team at the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup in Malaysia.
Now, he is at the helm of the senior women’s team, which is gearing up for a significant challenge—the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifiers. Imran has already begun training the squad as they prepare for the eight-team ICC Women's World Cup qualifying event after missing out on direct entry.
Bangladesh narrowly missed direct qualification for the 2025 Women's ODI World Cup, finishing with 21 points alongside New Zealand in the ICC Women's Championship standings. However, New Zealand clinched the final automatic spot due to a higher number of victories (9 compared to Bangladesh’s 8).
The critical moment arrived when Bangladesh faced an eight-wicket loss against West Indies in the series decider, which placed them into the qualifiers.
Now, Bangladesh must compete in an eight-team qualifying tournament alongside West Indies, Pakistan, Iceland, Scotland, and Thailand. Only the top two teams will progress to the main event, set to take place in India later this year.
