Sports Desk:

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials said on Saturday that they will take a decision regarding national women’s team head coach Hashan Tillakaratne after the tour of West Indies.

Tillakaratne was appointed as the head coach of the national women’s team in October 2022 on a two-year contract.

During his tenure, the team achieved some notable bilateral successes but struggled to establish themselves at the global level. Under his guidance, Bangladesh participated in two T20 World Cups, managing to secure just one victory in total.

“His (Tillakaratne) contract runs till January and we will take a decision regarding him after the tour of West Indies,” Habibul Bashar, BCB women’s wing in-charge, told the  on Saturday.

BCB sources confirmed that the board is not particularly enthusiastic about renewing his tenure looking for alternative options that included mulling the idea of appointing a local coach that makes Women’s U-19 head coach Sarowar Imran the front runner.

Tillakaratne said that he is not too sure about his future in Bangladesh cricket.

“I’m not sure about it. Let’s see what the board decides,” said Tillakaratne when his attention was drawn to the matter.

“For now, my attention is on West Indies tour. I hope the team performs well.” The women’s team are set for a white-ball series in West Indies from 14 January to 1 February.

The series will take place in St. Kitts, with all matches scheduled at Warner Park in Basseterre. The tour includes three ODIs and three T20Is.

Though Tillakaratne failed to establish Bangladesh as a force to reckon with on the global stage but he had some memorable achievements that include earning a draw against a full-strength India team in 2023 while also earning a historic series win against Pakistan at home. Tillakaratne helped the team achieve competitive results in away matches as Bangladesh secured an ODI and a T20I win in South Africa, as well as a T20 victory in Sri Lanka during his stint.

These achievements marked a significant step forward for a team historically seen as underdogs in international cricket and now it remains to be seen whether Tillakaratne’s contributions will secure him a renewal or a new chapter begins in Tigress dressing room with a different coach at the job.