Courtney Walsh relishes Bangladesh challenge

Bangladesh's newly appointed bowling coach Courtney Walsh speaks to the media in Dhaka yesterday. Pic/AFP

Dhaka: Former West Indies paceman Courtney Walsh said his love of a challenge has prompted him to accept the job of specialist bowling coach for the Bangladesh team. Walsh, 53, this week agreed a three-year deal after he completed his assignment as a selector for the West Indies in August, a post he occupied for the last two years.

Bangladesh's newly appointed bowling coach Courtney Walsh speaks to the media in Dhaka yesterday. Pic/AFP

"I have always dreamed of being involved with an international team," Walsh said in his first press conference in Dhaka yesterday. "There was a natural instinct to come here. I have never ever played in Bangladesh in my career. I played against them a couple of times.

"It was another chance to make new friends, and I always like challenges and get a satisfactory end result at the end of everything. It is a combination of both. I am happy to be here," he said. Walsh, who took 519 Test wickets and 227 in ODIs in a 17-year international career, replaced former Zimbabwean captain Heath Streak in the position.

Streak stepped down in May after helping Bangladesh make steady progress in the pace bowling department during his two-year tenure. "I am hoping by the time I leave Bangladesh, there will be much improvement. What really impressed me were the strides that Bangladesh Cricket Board wants to make for their players," Walsh said.