Greenidge's contribution to Bangladesh cricket immeasurable: Akram Khan
Greenidge was extremely serious about preparation ahead of the tournament and hardly let the players leave Savar.
Former Bangladesh cricket team captain Akram Khan said that the credit of their huge success in the 1997 ICC trophy goes to Gordon Greenidge. Greenidge was instrumental in developing the fitness level and skill of the players, according to Akram.
Akram along with Khaled Mashud and Minhajul Abedin joined current ODI captain Tamim Iqbal in a live conversation on Facebook on Tuesday. Former Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram also joined the chat as a special guest.
"Mudassar Nazar, Mohinder Amarnath both were good coaches, but it was Gordon Greenidge who built our team," mentioned Minhajul Abedin.
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Khaled Mashud said, "We started to practice at BKSP at Savar under Greenidge. He didn't like to waste time and wanted to utilize the whole day. We used to do fitness training from 5 to 7 in the morning and then have breakfast. Then we would practice batting and bowling. In the afternoon, we used to practice catching and fielding till 5 o'clock."
Greenidge was extremely serious about preparation ahead of the tournament and hardly let the players leave Savar.
Bangladesh went on to better 22 teams in the tournament and became the champions of the ICC Trophy.
As a result, they also secured a place in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup.
Gordon Greenidge was conferred honorary citizenship of Bangladesh for this outstanding achievement.
However, Greenidge was sacked the day Bangladesh won against Pakistan in the 1999 ICC Cricket World Cup. "It was rather ugly to sack such a person whose contribution to our cricket is beyond words. When we reached the dressing room after winning the match, we found him leaving. It was saddening," concluded Akram.
