Board to review Siddons remarks on Ashraful

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is set to review the team's dismal showing in Australia, where they were routed 3-0 in the ODI series, with the coaching staff and players likely to come under the scanner.

The board is also expected to examine Jamie Siddons' role as the head coach and seek an explanation over his comments on Mohammad Ashraful's captaincy during the tour. Siddons was earlier quoted as saying: "It's disappointing for Ashraful, being the leader of the team. If it were anyone else he wouldn't be in the side."

Gazi Ashraf Hossain, the chairman of the BCB cricket operations committee, said the board would first verify what Siddons had actually said. "But the fact remains that a coach should not talk publicly like that, because he can only give a recommendation to the board," Hossain told the Dhaka-based Daily Star. "It is indecent and his comments may have increased the pressure on the captain."

The board will also take into account the earlier comments from Siddons where he said there was "hardly any standard left" for him to follow and blamed the "infrastructure" of Bangladesh cricket for the poor showing.

"The problem was that we haven't had dependable batsmen in the top-order and that was why we appointed Siddons, who has a good knowledge of batting, as the head coach," Hossain said. "But unfortunately the batting standard has gone down.

"It was expected that the performance graph would improve but it didn't happen, so we can't accept it. I think it's about time the board should reassess the whole situation and take a tough decision, even if my role is questioned."

Hossain, however, refused to pin the blame on poor infrastructure and practice facilities for the dismal performance. "The BCB is trying its level best to improve and undoubtedly we have ensured expensive facilities for our national cricketers. One can't improve everything overnight and I must agree we have to improve our domestic structure. But one cannot make that as an excuse for the disastrous showing in Australia," he said.

He said since the BCB had spent a lot of money and raked in huge investments, the players needed to "pay the board back with good performances". "I don't think there is any need to spend so much money on anybody for this kind of performance," he said.

On the issue of captaincy, he said though Ashraful had been appointed as captain till December, his position would also come under review. "He is even struggling with his own position in the team, but we hardly have any choice to replace him ahead of the next home series against New Zealand in October. But still we have to think about the issue seriously."

Ruing the absence of mature players in the team, Hossain said the board was mulling the return of some senior players like Habibul Bashar. "You must think why someone was dropped from the squad before taking any decision. The fitness levels and absence from international cricket must also be taken into account."