Hannan Sarkar U-19 head coach

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed former national opener Hannan Sarkar as the head coach of the Under-19 team. Hannan replaces World Cup-winning coach Naved Newaz, who will transition into a broader role within the BCB setup, working with the Under-23 programme while also serving as a coach educator.

Newaz was appointed Bangladesh Under-19 coach in 2018 and guided the team to its maiden ICC title when they won the ICC Under-19 World Cup in 2020, reports Cricbuzz.

"We have appointed Hannan Sarkar as Under-19 head coach while Naveed will be working with us in the Under-23 program," BCB Game Development Committee chairman Faim Sinha told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday.

Hannan stepped down from the national selection panel to pursue coaching as a full-time career. The former Bangladesh batter said his desire to coach was rekindled after the BCB began prioritising local coaches for key roles.

"My dream of coaching existed long before this opportunity. Even before becoming a selector, I was involved in coaching. As many of you know, after retiring as a player in 2011, I coached in the Premier League for three years and also coached in the National League first-class competition," said Hannan.

"Then I moved into selection. After completing a nine-year journey as a selector, the opportunity came. Especially when the Cricket Board started prioritizing and promoting local coaches, my dream of coaching was revived," he said.

"When the opportunity arose, I communicated with the board and resigned as a national selector one year before the end of my contract. After that, I coached the Under-17 team. It was definitely a good move in my life," he said. "The fact that the Cricket Board now trusts me with the Under-19 team is a reflection of that. It is certainly a very big platform for me," he added.

One of the areas Hannan hopes to address is the participation of players in multiple editions of the ICC Under-19 World Cup. He indicated a preference for widening opportunities and exposing a larger pool of young cricketers to international competition.

"Since I was previously a selector, I can relate to this issue. It depends on how the chairman, the Game Development chairman, the selectors, and the head coach think. It is a collective decision," he said.

Meanwhile, the BCB also announced the launch of an Analytics Laboratory aimed at transforming player development through data, technology and artificial intelligence.

Performance analyst Sandeep Kumar Raman has been appointed to lead the project.

The laboratory will initially be established at the indoor facility of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur before being expanded to divisional centres across the country in phases.

"The centre will maintain a comprehensive video database of players from Under-14 level to the National Team, ensuring that coaches, players and BCB management have access to vital performance data," the BCB said in a statement following the media briefing.

"Under the programme, dedicated performance analysts will work closely with coaches on individual player development, while coaches themselves will receive training to effectively utilize analytical data and technological resources.

"The laboratory will support bowling action correction, batting and bowling technique enhancement, skills development and fitness monitoring, while also ensuring a structured transfer of player information between coaching panels," the statement added.

The facility will be equipped with the latest analytical software and technological tools. According to the BCB, the initiative is expected to strengthen the country's high-performance and talent-development pathways while introducing the use of artificial intelligence in performance analysis.