Phil Simmons said on Wednesday that nothing in life “surprises” him anymore, as he reflected on the rapid changes at the top of Bangladesh cricket administration. Simmons—appointed by former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed in 2024—has now worked through the Aminul Isam era and is currently operating under Tamim Iqbal, who is chairing an ad-hoc committee after the National Sports Council dissolved the Aminul-led board.
Administration shake-up, same focus on preparation
Simmons made it clear that the off-field turmoil has not altered the squad’s day-to-day training or their readiness for the upcoming white-ball assignment against New Zealand. The series is scheduled to start on April 17.
- He said the changes “don’t affect” how the team trains or the camp plan already put in place.
- Asked whether the upheaval could impact players psychologically, Simmons said he has not seen any clear effect—adding that the group has continued to work as hard as usual, and at times harder.
- He emphasised that the players are still concentrating on the key preparations required for the New Zealand series.
Opening combination likely to stay unchanged
With Bangladesh preparing for the first phase of the tour, Simmons suggested the team could stick with its preferred top-of-the-order pairing of Tanzid Hasan Tamim and Saif Hassan for at least the initial two ODIs against New Zealand.
He pointed to continuity from the previous series and a positive sign from the warm-up match, where Saif showed form consistent with team expectations.
- Simmons said Bangladesh have “settled” at the top because of a strong partnership in the last series.
- He noted that Saif’s performance in the warm-up reinforced the belief that he is returning to the level the team expects.
- Based on that, he indicated the opening duo may remain for the first two ODI matches.
Selection decisions and batting-order concerns
Simmons also addressed the situation of Soumya Sarkar, who—despite producing a match-winning 91 against the West Indies—has not been included in the playing XI since last October.
He stressed that the decision was shaped by availability and form, explaining that Soumya missed significant cricket between the West Indies series, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), and the period leading into the Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL). Simmons said the other batters seized the opportunities created by that absence.
- Simmons described Soumya as an “excellent” player who performed well versus the West Indies.
- He said Soumya missed a lot of cricket after the West Indies series, during the BPL, and ahead of the BCL.
- He added that with others doing well, the team had to make a difficult selection call for the XI.
- Simmons concluded that Soumya will need to keep pushing to return to the side.
Middle-order role mismatch between international and domestic cricket
The head coach further flagged an area of concern: middle-order batters at international level may not be playing those specific roles when they go back to domestic cricket.
He highlighted that Afif Hossain, who batted at number six during the Pakistan series, typically occupies the number four spot in domestic matches. Simmons also noted that several other squad members—Litton Das, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Towhid Hridoy and captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz—tend to bat higher in the order domestically than they do in their international roles.
Simmons also addressed the broader mindset around batting positions, acknowledging that there have been instances where players have expressed dissatisfaction with how their roles differ at the international level—something he said he is hesitant to encourage.
- He said domestic cricket sees batters generally used in the top order, including players like Mehidy and Ankon.
- He argued that when players come into the international setup, they have to accept different roles based on team needs.
- He said the squad has been working hard to adapt, and that international cricket requires adjusting to what is demanded rather than what is familiar domestically.
Improving batting throughout the innings
Simmons closed by stressing that Bangladesh’s batting improvement must extend across every phase—not only the lower middle order. He pointed to the need for growth from the top of the order through to positions five, six, seven and eight, saying the team is continuously working to raise its standards across these areas.
- He said there is “room to improve” in every batting aspect of the game.
- He identified scope for improvement from the top order down through numbers five to eight.
- He reiterated that the coaching staff are working continuously to ensure those improvements translate into match performance.
