‘No issue with the players’

Bangladesh's assistant national coach Richard Halsall, who had been with the team for three and a half years, tendered his resignation to the Bangladesh Cricket Board on March 20 which was accepted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Today, Halsall returned to complete formalities and met up with CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury. In a meeting at the BCB headquarters, Halsall was asked to clarify the reasons for his resignation.

Halsall once again reiterated that family issues were the reason for his departure.

"I have a very young family and it takes a lot for me to stay from them for a long time," Halsall said.

"I thought it was the right time to quit," the former assistant coach added.

Halsall joined the Tigers on September 2014 as a fielding coach and was promoted to the position of assistant coach under then head coach Chandika Hathurusingha in 2016. His contract with the BCB, which was renewed in 2016, was till the 2019 World Cup. His last assignment with the national team was during the home series against Sri Lanka in January-February.

There was speculation that Halsall was sent on a forced leave ahead of the Nidahas Trophy tri-series in Sri Lanka and he was released by the cricket board after the conclusion of the Nidahas Trophy.

There had been rumours that a few of the senior members of the team were not happy with Halsall, the Tigers' assistant and fielding coach. It was learned that BCB accepted the resignation once he joined a county side.

Halsall however suggested today that there were no issues with the senior players.

"The senior cricketers always have their opinion and I have always tried to work for the best of the Bangladesh team. So I didn't find any issues with any of the senior cricketers," Halsall concluded.

Tigers' next assignment in is June against Afghanistan before they head to West Indies for a full tour. The BCB are willing to play three T20's instead of three ODIs against an up and coming Afghanistan, who have just been awarded Test status.