New Delhi, July 23 (IANS) Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud has rejoined the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), taking up a new role focused on developing the country’s next generation of cricketers after being appointed consultant for age-group cricket on a two-year contract.
Mahmud’s return marks another chapter in his long association with Bangladesh cricket administration and coaching. Having previously overseen the BCB’s Game Development programme, the 54-year-old will now concentrate on strengthening the pathway for emerging players at the junior level.
Speaking after his appointment, Mahmud said working with young cricketers has always been his preferred area and revealed discussions over the role had been ongoing with BCB president Tamim.
“I was discussing this (working with age-level cricket) with Tamim (BCB president) for quite a while now. I have been given a two-year deal. This is work I like doing. I have spent most of my coaching life in development and age-group cricket. When I was chairman of the BCB development committee, I tried my best to develop cricketers at that level,” Mahmud was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
“We won the Youth World Cup as well. After leaving the board, I mostly worked as a coach with age-group cricketers. The new role is an ideal one for me. I hope I will be able to do something good in these two years,” he added.
Mahmud played a key administrative role during one of Bangladesh’s landmark achievements in international cricket, serving as head of the Game Development Unit when the country’s Under-19 team captured the ICC Under-19 World Cup title in South Africa in 2020.
The BCB is understood to have identified Mahmud’s extensive experience in youth development as a major factor behind his reappointment, with officials believing his expertise can help nurture promising talent and strengthen the grassroots structure.
Over the past two decades, Mahmud has worn several hats within Bangladesh cricket. Soon after retiring from international cricket in 2006, he became the national team’s manager before taking over as assistant coach under Jamie Siddons in 2009. He was elected as a BCB director in 2013 while simultaneously remaining active as a coach in domestic competitions, including the Bangladesh Premier League and Dhaka Premier League.
His responsibilities expanded further after returning as Bangladesh team manager in 2015. A year later, he joined the national selection panel before assuming the role of technical director following Chandika Hathurusinghe’s departure in 2017, effectively overseeing the senior side during the early part of 2018.
Mahmud later guided Bangladesh as interim head coach during the ODI series in Sri Lanka in 2019 and subsequently continued as team director through the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup. During that period, he publicly voiced his dissatisfaction with the nature of the team director’s responsibilities.
He stepped down from his position as a BCB director in September 2024 but now returns with a clear mandate to help shape Bangladesh’s future by overseeing the progress of its age-group cricketers.
–IANS
vi/
