Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Donald Indian coach?



NEW DELHI, Jan 6: Allan Donald could well be Indian cricket team’s next bowling coach with the BCCI showing interest in the retired South African pacer.

Donald said he had an informal discussion with a cricket board official during the Champions League in October — where the former pacer was part of the commentary team — and he was told that the process might take some time.

“Yes, I had an informal chat during Champions League Twenty20 with an Indian board official,” the former pacer said. “I would be interested to talk to the BCCI regarding the bowling coach job that is currently vacant and I’m keen (on the job),” he said.

Donald, who is waiting for the BCCI to formally approach him for the job, said he was told in October that the process might take some time. After India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni said that chief coach Gary Kirsten was overburdened and the team was missing a bowling coach, BCCI is expected to complete the process before South Africa arrive here next month for a series featuring three One-dayers and two Test matches. Fellow South African Shaun Pollock is also being tipped as a possible candidate, having coached the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League where the former Protea captain worked with Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh. Pollock, however, refused to comment on it. India remains without a bowling coach since the BCCI sacked Venkatesh Prasad — along with fielding coach Robin Singh — in October after the team’s poor performance in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy. Since his 2003 retirement, Donald had a short stint as England’s bowling coach in 2007 before he spent a year with Warwickshire as the head coach there. (PTI)

Jolted India take on Bangladesh



MIRPUR, Jan 6: Jolted out of their comfort zone after last night’s defeat against Sri Lanka, India will hope to be back to their winning ways when they take on Bangladesh in their second outing of the ODI tri-series on Thursday.

The Indians men came here high on confidence after their Test and ODI series win over Sri Lanka but their five-wicket loss against the islanders, who were without some key players, has not only dented their pride but also shattered their hopes of becoming the top ranked one day team for the time being.

Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his men will now have to go back to the drawing board and sort out their batting and bowling woes, besides praying that they don’t end up on the receiving end of the dew factor.

The loss meant that India do not have any chance of becoming world number one in ICC ODI rankings at least till the end of the tri-series as they needed to win all their matches here to achieve the feat.