Siddons' Bangladesh tenure ends

Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons will be looking for a new job after the nation's cricket board confirmed on Tuesday night that his contract would not be renewed. Siddons, who has coached the Bangladesh side since October 2007, appeared unlikely to win a contract extension from the moment his team failed to meet lofty home expectations during the 2011 World Cup, missing out on a quarter-final berth after heavy defeats to West Indies and South Africa.

The decision was made during a BCB meeting. "It has been agreed that national team head coach Jamie Siddons' contract, which expires on June 30, 2011, will not be extended," Mohammed Jalal Yunus, chairman of the BCB media and communications committee, said. "We are appreciative of Jamie's contribution over the last four years. However, we feel the time is right to ring in changes in the team management and support staff. We are going to invite applications for the head coach's position very soon."

Siddons was not surprised when informed of the board decision. "It's been a great experience and I've loved every second of it," he told ESPNCricinfo. "I think we've achieved a lot of things over the past four years, but we've also had some really bad moments and the World Cup, particularly the games against West Indies and South Africa, were some of those."

Seeking a challenge after largely smooth sailing as the Australian team batting coach, Siddons certainly found one in Bangladesh, where he achieved a notable improvement in the team's overall results, though the occasional embarrassing surrender still took place.

The series against Australia has been punctuated by a general feeling of unease within the Bangladesh camp, with the public and media still angered by the World Cup results, while the players wonder about who would be leading them into the future.

Board decisions over the future of the national selection panel are expected to be made before the end of April, while a host of support staff are either leaving or under review. In addition to Siddons, the bowling coach Ian Pont has already departed, while the fielding coach Julien Fountain has been in negotiations over an extension to his deal, which runs out on April 30. Strength and conditioning coach Grant Trafford Luden will stay on for another year, while the future of team physio Michael Henry is still to be decided.

Siddons will have his contract paid out and depart Dhaka soon after the conclusion of the third and final limited overs match against Australia.