While Australia have gone back to hiring the services of S Sriram, who helped their spinners during the India series earlier in the year, Bangladesh have added to their contingent, former India spinner Sunil Joshi, who has been roped in as the spin consultant for the immediate future.
The former slow left-armer confirmed the development to Cricbuzz but refused to divulge details of the duration of his service with Bangladesh’s national side. “Yes, I will be working as the spin consultant for the Australia series, and will be joining the (Bangladesh) side shortly,” Joshi told Cricbuzz.
With Bangladesh having shown drastic improvements as a Test team in the last year,. the forthcoming two-match series marks a big opportunity for them to register their maiden Test win over Australia. It would be no surprise that they would bank on their strength, which also happens to be Australia’s biggest weakness – spin.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board had gone all out in search of a spin consultant for the series, including the possibility of having Stuart MacGill in their coaching setup.
With the former Australian legspinner declining to take up the role due to illness, BCB turned towards Joshi, with whom they had earlier tried to initiate talks for the role of a bowling coach.
Joshi, who has played 15 Tests and 69 ODIs for India, was the Man of the Match in Bangladesh’s first ever Test in 2000. He had scored 92 in his only innings and bagged eight wickets in the match, including a fifer.
