Bangladesh coach Phil Simmons has left for London for a doctor’s visit, team officials said.
The ex-West Indies player and current Bangladesh coach will miss the second ODI against Sri Lanka but should be back before the last game on July 8.
Simmons was with the team in Colombo and left for London. Team manager Nafees Iqbal explained why Simmons left, saying it has nothing to do with the team’s performance or any meetings.
Phil Simmons is going for a few days for personal stuff, Nafees Iqbal said . He had a doctor’s appointment back in February but had to skip it because of the Champions Trophy. He couldn’t reschedule it. He talked to the board about it beforehand and made plans. He’s leaving today and will be back on July 7.
There were rumors that BCB president Aminul Islam called Simmons in to talk about performance after Bangladesh’s poor start to the ODI series. But, the team manager said it’s just for medical reasons and not about discipline or review, according to Cricbuzz.
In the first ODI at R. Premadasa Stadium, Bangladesh had a collapse. After chasing 245, Bangladesh was 100 for 1 but then 107 for 8, losing seven wickets for five runs. Sri Lankan spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Kamindu Mendis caused the problems, as Bangladesh’s batting fell apart under pressure.
This was worse than the USA’s collapse in 2020 when they lost seven wickets for eight runs against Nepal.
Bangladesh is 0-1 down in the ODI series after losing the first game by 77 runs. The last ODI is on July 8 and then there’s a three-match T20I series from July 10 to 16.
