Ashwell Prince takes over as full-time Bangladesh batting coach

Ashwell Prince has resigned as head coach of South Africa's Western Province to take up a permanent role as batting coach of the Bangladesh men's national team. His present stint will be till the end of the 2022 men's T20I World Cup, to be played in Australia in October-November.

Prince was in charge of the Cobras - the franchise which has now dissolved into Western Province, Boland and South Western Districts - from the 2016-17 season and has been with Bangladesh in a temporary capacity since their tour of Zimbabwe last month. He remained with them during their historic T20I series win over Australia more recently, and will now be part of the set-up for the T20I World Cup later in the year.

Assistant coach Faiek Davids will take over Prince's role in an acting capacity at Western Province when the South African domestic season starts in September.

Prince, who played 66 Tests, 52 ODIs and a solitary T20I for South Africa between 2002 and 2011, began his coaching career at the Cobras, first as an assistant to Paul Adams and then taking over full time later in the same season. Under Prince, the Cobras did not win any trophies but produced several players for the national side, including the Malan brothers, Zubayr Hamza, Kyle Verreynne and George Linde.

"What I will treasure most about my stint as head coach of the Cobras is, along with my coaching staff, assisting six young players to make their international debut for the Proteas," Prince said in a statement.

Prince joins a strong South African component in Bangladesh's coaching staff, which includes two former South Africa men's national head coaches: Russell Domingo, who was in charge of South Africa between 2013 and 2017 is Bangladesh's head coach, while Ottis Gibson, who took over from Domingo between 2017 and 2019, is Bangladesh's bowling coach.