Jamie Siddons on life after Bangladesh

Siddons always felt safe in the cricket-mad nation, even if the post of Bangladesh coach ranks somewhere just below prime minister. He was feted often, abused little. There was plenty of advice from the punters, but it was generally good natured.

His main annoyance was the sport's politics, where some in high places boasted zero cricketing knowledge. "Some of the decisions that get made aren't quite from a cricket viewpoint." On the field, losing was a habit, so Siddons was starting low. "I was with the team two weeks before we went to New Zealand and we got smashed in most games and embarrassed in a couple as well. Their skill level was nowhere near international standard. I had just come from the Australian team and I knew exactly the difference, which was huge ..."