Dhaka, Oct 19 || Bangladesh’s newly-appointed head coach, Phil Simmons, is determined to shift the team's focus back to cricket as they gear up for their two-match Test series against South Africa, starting October 21 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Simmons, who took over amidst off-field controversies, is keen to leave behind the distractions and help his squad prepare for the upcoming challenge. Simmons replaces Chandika Hathurasinghe, who was recently removed as head coach, and steps in at a time when star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is unavailable for home games.
Addressing the situation during his first official press conference, Simmons stressed the importance of focusing on cricket rather than external distractions.
"That's the big part of our job over the next few days, to make sure the focus is on the cricket, and not on the outside of cricket. We can control how we prepare for Monday, that's how we are trying to get the team to focus," Simmons told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Saturday.
He emphasised that Bangladesh’s chances in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) hinge on the upcoming Tests.