Albie Morkel to assist Bangladesh batters for South Africa series

Bangladesh’s cricket board said Wednesday that former South African all-rounder Albie Morkel will join the country as a power-hitting batting coach ahead of a three-match one-day international series against the Proteas.

After 50 Twenty20 matches, 58 One-Day Internationals, and a single Test, the short-format specialist’s international career came to an end in 2015.

He will serve as the first Bangladesh power-hitting coach with a view to helping batsmen improve their boundary clearances — a weak link in the current squad’s white-ball matches.

Morkel joins fellow South Africans Russell Domingo, the head coach and Allan Donald, the pace bowling coach, on the backroom team. Australian Jamie Siddons is the batting coach.

“We have made this appointment on a short-term basis. Albie was available for a small duration, so we thought a few sessions with him might help our batsmen,” Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.

“Four to five sessions in South Africa may not bring a big change. But we will get to see if it can be really useful,” he added.

Morkel has already arrived in Johannesburg to join the Bangladesh squad, according to Chowdhury.

The three-match One-Day International series kicks off on Friday in Centurion. In Durban and Port Elizabeth, two more tests will be held.