Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has been roped in as a batting coach for Bangladesh in their high-performance academy in Dhaka. Jaffer was approached by Bangladesh Cricket Board a few weeks ago and as per his contract he will be stationed in Dhaka for six months in a year. "They had approached me whether I will be interested to come on board as batting coach in their academy. I said yes, as I felt it’s a good opportunity for me. I have said in the past that I want to be part of coaching and commentary in future. I recently went to play Dhaka Premier League where I finalised the offer. I will be going to Dhaka in June," Jaffer said. In his 40s, Jaffer has been in great form in Indian domestic cricket. He was one of the chief architects behind Vidarbha winning Ranji Trophy for the second successive year. Jaffer says he will be playing domestic cricket in coming months and at the same time will be managing his batting coach job in Bangladesh.
The coaching assignment came at the right time for stylish batsman. He was trying to play club cricket in England but no deal had materialised. "I will be going to Bangladesh in June and will return to play Ranji Trophy game for Vidarbha. I think I still can contribute and wanted to play the forthcoming season. As far as the batting coach is concerned there is no specific thing, I will be helping those players who will be coming into the academy. I will be there to help anyone who wants it. For me it will be also an opportunity to learn something new," Jaffer added.
Igor Stimac appointed Indian football coach
The All India Football Federation announced the appointment of Igor Stimac as the Head Coach of the Men’s Senior National Team on a two-year contract. Stimac comes with an experience of over 18 years in coaching, structuring, and developing football and players in Croatia, and internationally. During his tenure as the national coach of Croatia, he handed national team debuts to the likes of Mateo Kovacic, Ante Rebic, Alen Halilovic, and Ivan Perisic, amongst others. He also played a pivotal role in developing likes of Dario Srna, Daniel Subasic, Ivan Strinic, Kovacic, Perisic, and other players. His last assignment was with Al-Shahania Club in Qatar. As a player, he was part the of the Croatia National squad which finished third in the FIFA World Cup in France 1998, and a member of the Croatia national squad which qualified for the quarter-finals of the Euro 1996 in England. Besides, he was also a part of the Yugoslavia U-19 National Team which won the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 1987. “His (Stimac) credentials as a coach, and experience as a player are sure to add immense value to the players, and the Indian Football ecosystem. The momentum gained needs to be sustained,” Kushal Das, General Secretary, AIFF said.
Ahmedabad likely to host WC football matches
Ahmedabad is likely to host matches of under-17 Women's World Cup to be held in India next year. Gujarat government officials said they were in talks with Fifa, international governing body of football, officials to host some matches, including the semifinals, in the city. Top Fifa officials are expected to arrive in Ahmedabad to finalize the details of the mega biennial event. India was selected to host the World Cup by the Fifa Council on March 15. As the host country, India automatically qualifies for the 16-team showpiece event. The officials of Fifa and the Gujarat government met in Gandhinagar to discuss the details. The Fifa officials discussed the readiness of the city stadium to host the matches. R C Meena, secretary, sports & cultural affairs, Gujarat, confirmed that the Fifa is set to allott the U-17 Women's World Cup matches to the state.
