Bangladesh national team fitness trainer Nathan Kelly has resigned from his position with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), citing personal reasons. Both the BCB and its cricket operations department have confirmed the news.
Kelly joined the Bangladesh setup in April last year on a two-year contract but decided to step down before its completion in order to spend more time with his family. He officially informed the BCB of his decision via email on Monday at 1pm.
The Australian trainer had taken paternity leave during the Asia Cup and did not return to the national team after becoming a father on 24 September. As a result, he missed the Afghanistan series in the UAE and the home series against the West Indies. During his absence, Iftakhar Rahman served as the national team’s acting fitness trainer.
During his tenure, Kelly introduced several new elements to Bangladesh’s fitness testing system. In addition to the traditional beep and yo-yo tests, he implemented a “time trial” in which players had to complete 1,600 metres, or four laps, within a set time to pass. Members of the national team took part in this assessment before the Asia Cup and before the start of the domestic first-class season.
Before joining the BCB, Kelly worked as a fitness trainer for New South Wales’ cricket team in Australia and also served in a similar role with a rugby side.
