Craig McMillan will be unable to take up his role as batting consultant for Bangladesh’s Test series against Sri Lanka due to a loss in the family. McMillan was supposed to join the team later this month to prepare for the three-match series which would have been Bangladesh’s first assignment since the Covid-19 pandemic broke out worldwide in March.
BCB’s chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said on Saturday that McMillan had informed them of the tragedy, and that they recognise his predicament.
“Craig has communicated to us that his father has passed away recently and therefore it would not be possible for him to take up the batting consultant’s position of the national team for the upcoming tour at this moment of grief. We fully understand his situation. Our sympathies are with Craig and his family during this difficult time,” Chowdhury said.
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McMillan had agreed to take up the role last month after spending five years as New Zealand’s all-format batting coach. He was to replace Neil McKenzie, who had worked with Bangladesh for two years in the same capacity before deciding against travelling during the pandemic.
If the Sri Lanka tour does go ahead, it would leave the BCB with very little time to replace McMillan ahead of their preparatory camp for the tour, which is likely to be split between Dhaka and Colombo in the coming weeks.
However, the series remains an uncertainty as the Sri Lankan health authorities haven’t agreed with the BCB’s offer to scale down the quarantine period for their players upon arrival in Sri Lanka.