'I know nothing despite being the vice-chairman of cricket operations'

Khaled Mahmud Sujon, the vice-chairman of the game development department of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and former captain, claimed that he didn't know anything about the appointment of Ashwell Prince and Rangana Herath and came to know about that from media only.  

Ashwell Prince and Rangana Herath have recently been appointed as batting and spin bowling consultants respectively. Sujon was the person who recommended Herath's name to the BCB.

"Despite being the vice-chairman of the cricket operations department, I knew nothing about that. I watched the news on TV. I might have been in the bio-bubble, but I had my mobile phone with me. In fact, I was the one who recommended Herath's name to the BCB," said Sujon.

The BCB director even said that he isn't sure whether he is still the vice-president of the cricket operations department. "I don't know if I still hold the post. Probably my name is only involved. Because I am not told to join meetings. I didn't get any e-mail for two years. (Nazmul Hassan) Papon Bhai gave me freedom. But if he doesn't want me to know this, there is no way I could be aware of the details."

Pointing out the importance of experience in coaching, Sujon mentioned, "Since (Daniel) Vettori isn't working anymore, we needed someone to replace him. Herath can be a good option as he is a level three coach. I found out later that Ashwell (Prince) has been appointed for Zimbabwe tour and Herath until the T20 World Cup."

The former captain opined that Bangladesh isn't quite ready to welcome local coaches. "We aren't ready to accept local coaches yet. The mindset hasn't developed. But what we can do is to give local coaches opportunities to assist the foreign coaches. If a young local coach can assist Otis Gibson in three series, he will get to learn a lot of things. And he will be able to apply the knowledge while teaching the players of age group teams," said Sujon.