Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons departed for London on Friday for a scheduled medical consultation.
Simmons had been with the team in Colombo for the ongoing white-ball series against Sri Lanka. Although he will miss the second ODI on Saturday, he is expected to return for the final match on July 8.
Despite rumours suggesting that BCB president Aminul Islam had called Simmons for a performance review, Cricbuzz confirmed that his trip is solely for a pre-arranged doctor’s appointment in the UK.
Following the conclusion of the ODI series, both teams will compete in a three-match T20I series from July 10 to 16.
On their all-format tour of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost the Test series 0-1 and are currently 0-1 down in the ODI series after losing the opener by 77 runs.
Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed described the team’s collapse in the first ODI against Sri Lanka as “unexpected” after spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis took seven wickets between them.
Bangladesh’s Historic Meltdown
Chasing a modest target of 245 at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Wednesday, Bangladesh seemed well set at 100 for 1 in the 17th over. However, they suffered a dramatic and historic meltdown, collapsing to 107 for 8, losing seven wickets for just five runs—the worst such collapse in men’s ODI history.
Previously, the record was held by the USA, who lost seven wickets for eight runs against Nepal in 2020, falling from 23 for 1 to 31 for 8 before being bowled out for 35.
“Unfortunately, we had a great start, but after that… a tough loss for us. Seven wickets for five runs—it was unexpected. We tried, but it didn’t happen. It wasn’t a great feeling,” Taskin said after the match.
“Premadasa is a bit tricky, but today, from that (Wanindu) Hasaranga over when (Najmul Hossain) Shanto got run out followed by (Tanzid Hasan) Tamim’s dismissal, we collapsed badly. Those two wickets in one over were the turning point. The way we started today, I was expecting we would win with 5-6 overs in hand, but unfortunately, that collapse was a big loss. It hurts because I am also a player. Bowling and batting combined, we are a team.” (News18/IANS)
