Harmer first on BCB’s list

The Bangladesh Cricket Board will resume the process of appointing the coach for the national team coach with Australian John Harmer first in line to make a presentation before officials on Wednesday.
Harmer, one of the three short-listed candidates for the post, which fell vacant in June following Dave Whatmore’s departure, is expected to arrive in Dhaka on the same day, said sources within the BCB.
The other two short-listed candidates – Australian Jamie Siddons and Zimbabwean Dave Houghton, will also be interviewed by September, said BCB officials. Former Zimbabwe captain and coach Houghton could be second person to be interviewed after Harmer, added officials.
However, a final decision in this regard is unlikely before the end of next month as the third candidate Siddons, who as of now is the first choice of the BCB officials, will not be available for the interview before the end of ICC Twenty20 World Cup.
Siddons, will be accompanying the Australian team, of which he is an assistant coach, in South Africa during the Twenty20 World Cup, which runs from September 11-24.
‘Australians are the firm favourite to win the tournament; naturally they expect to play in the final on September 24 in New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg. In that case we cannot interview him before the end of month. It may even go in October,’ said a BCB official asking not to be named.
The interim Board officials, who took over barely a month ago, managed to get in touch with Siddons only a few days ago after Mahbub Anam, the general secretary of the committee that government dissolved last month, extended his cooperation, sources said.
The new BCB officials had earlier put the search for a coach on hold as they had no contact details of the short-listed candidates. ‘Now we have a detailed profile of all three candidates,’ said an official.
The 65-year-old Harmer, first coach to be interviewed, has been working at the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy in Brisbane since 2003, according to BCB officials. Previously he was at the helm of the Australia and England women’s cricket teams.
Harmer led the Australia women’s cricket team to three World Cup finals in his eight years in charge of the squad from 1992-2000, winning the 1997 World Cup in India.
An Australian Level III coaching certificate holder, Harmer, has authored a number research works on cricket coaching and biomechanics, according to Cricinfo in his profile.