'G' trouble for Bangladesh (27 May 1999)

27 May 1999

'G' trouble for Bangladesh

Nizamuddin Ahmed

LONDON, May 26: Bangla-desh coach Gordon Greenidge is on his way out. His contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board, where he has been serving as Director of Coaching since October 1996, will in all probability not be renewed when it runs out in end June this year.

Several BCB officials now in England following the World Cup indicated this to this correspondent, adding that the complaints against Greenidge was mounting, particularly in view of his behaviour on the current tour.

To add fuel to the rumour, it was circulating in Edinburgh yesterday that the legendary West Indian batsman, who was party to the Caribbean victory in the 1979 and 1983 World Cup, is to become the next coach of Scotland.

Greenidge has not been in the best of terms with his employers since after Bangla-desh's ICC triumph in mid 1997. There was mutual unhappiness about how the coaching programme should run. While Gordon seemed to lament over too much interference and lack of all-round ability, organisational and performance, some BCB high-ups questioned the coaching rookie in him. At times the working relationship between the two did not exist.

Fair it is to say that the master batsman has not been able to display his coaching acumen. There is no success like success and that had been lacking since the ICC joy, which came five months after Greenidge's signing.

The players as individuals and they as a team did not improve. The results were appalling. The Commonwealth championship in Malaysia was a disaster, as was the tri-nation in India and the Meril Cup in Dhaka. Only the series win against a visiting West Indian 'A' gave us reason to smile.

Matters came to a head after the dreadful tour of Ireland, Scotland and England last June. Losing to Ireland and Scotland was difficult to digest despite the infamous UK weather with abject wet, windy and cold ingredients. There was call for his neck from several BCB high-ups then. But for an in-depth interview with Greenidge conducted at his request by Al-Amin and Hasan Masood of The Daily Star, the West Indian legend was about to be shown the door.

Manager Tanveer Muzhar Islam confirmed at Edinburgh that Greenidge was one of the five persons responsible for selecting the final eleven before a match. It has been gathered from several sources that Gordon left the meeting of selectors before the vital Scotland match, saying he was unwell.

While the team was in a selection meeting at the Stakis Grosvenor before the vital Scotland match, Greenidge was seen drinking at the Peking hotel opposite with friends. He had claimed to journalists later that he had 'walked out' of the selection meeting.

At Edinburgh, as elsewhere, Greenidge watched the match just as another spectator. Against Scotland, he was aloof and detached, and did not bother going to the dressing room. He was not advising players, or encouraging them with a pat; not even admonishing them for their lapses. To rub it in, Greenidge did not join the team celebrations after beating Scotland.

It is unfortunate, but his reticence at a crucial juncture of our cricket tells on the lack of his professional responsibility. For the handsome amount he is paid Greenidge's conduct is tantamount to betrayal.

The players have always had a language problem with the West Indian. Several Bangla-desh players, as would be obvious, found communicating in Greenidge's English difficult. He made it compulsory for players to speak in English at team meetings. This could hardly be expected to work as players and officials are used to communicating normally in Bangla when talking among themselves.

Only at Edinburgh did the board president Saber Hossain Chowdhury put his foot down and told the players they could speak in Bangla. Everyone agreed the meeting that followed was a great success with large-scale participation of the players. By contrast, previous meetings were a one-way tirade.

Why players were not allowed to speak in Bangla and an interpreter not used for Greenidge is something that the board may need to address in the near future.

But, Greenidge must have something against Bangla because on this tour he has banned Bangla songs on the bus when the team is travelling. 'You are now in England and should listen to English songs,' was his way of elevating team spirit.

Greenidge once stopped the team's bus in London at his daughter's house. As the team sat in the bus for half-an-hour, manager Tanveer Muzhar Islam asked the driver to change the English music and put on something Bangla. The driver said he had no orders from Greenidge. On Tanveer's insistence, Bangla music was put on. But, on his return, Greenidge switched the music to English.

In the beginning of the tour in April, after a practice session, he asked the players to join him to see a movie. The players were hungry and wanted to go for dinner. The team management asked the coach to leave the driver after he had been dropped at the cinema hall, but the West Indian said, 'The driver will also see the movie'. The team spent 100 pounds on taxi fare to go and have dinner, while Greenidge had the bus at the cinema.

Once he refused to go to join the team at a London reception and sat out the whole programme in the team's bus. It was unusual because Greenidge had joined two previous such receptions and also another hosted by a Bangladeshi at Edinburgh.

Such insulting behaviour can hurt the morale of any player. And, above all, a good coach should know that, said a member of the team management.

Greenidge has refused to give press interviews despite requests of the manager.

The team management considers this a violation of his conscientious obligation as the coach of the national team.

Before the match against West Indies, Greenidge raised the question of match money and prize money. Twelve players are provided with match money as per BCB tradition and rules. Greenidge inquired, 'Why are all fifteen not being paid?' At the same meeting, he also asked when would the prize money (three thousand dollars per match for the losing side) be paid to the players. A high BCB executive present argued that the total prize money would be fifteen thousand dollars if we lost all the five matches.

'We do not need that player who cannot afford to wait for that amount,' he said. Such queries by Greenidge were creating an unnecessary gap between the board and the players, commented a top batsman, requesting anonymity.

Besides, his performance at the press conference after the win against Scotland on Monday was considered outrageous by those attending. Instead of toeing the official line of the BCB as an employee, Greenidge said that Bangladesh lacked the ability and the structure to become a Test nation. It was uncalled for on that day for the Caribbean to mention to the press that he wanted to build a team for the next ten years, while 'they' wanted a team for this World Cup.

Greenidge was not available for comments when this correspondent tried to contact him. In fact he is not talking to any Bangladeshi journalist.

Source :: The Daily Star