Former Zimbabwe captain Dave Houghton has pulled out of the race to be Bangladesh cricket coach, leaving two Australians in contention, the cricket board said Friday. John Harmer, who has coached the women's teams of Australia and England, and Jamie Siddons, who played for Australia in a single one-day international, have been left in a two-way battle.
Houghton decided he had to look after his ailing parents, said Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief executive Mahmudur Rahman. "He said right now he is a citizen of England and it would be tough for him to relocate his parents," he added.
Sixty-five-year-old Harmer, a coach at the Australian academy, interviewed for the job and spent a day training Bangladesh last month. BCB officials told local media they were impressed with the man who never made it beyond Victoria's second XI as a player. Siddons, 43, an assistant coach of Australia with a reputation as one of finest domestic players never to win a Test cap when he retired in 2000, would be interviewed at a later date, Rahman said.
The Bangladesh cricket coach's job has been vacant since May when Australian Dav Whatmore ended a successful four-year coaching stint with the 10th Test nation. Under Whatmore, minnows Bangladesh won their first Test and beat teams such as Australia, South Africa and India in one-day internationals. Australian Shaun Williams has been acting as interim coach.