Wasim Jaffer signs up as batting consultant for Bangladesh’s Under-19 and the ‘A’ side

Former Indian opener Wasim Jaffer has been appointed as the batting consultant of Bangladesh's Under-19 and the Bangladesh high-performance team, i.e. the 'A side'. 

Wasim Jaffer is one of the legends of Indian domestic cricket and, unsurprisingly, hails from Mumbai. A colossus in domestic cricket, he is the highest run-scorer in the Ranji and Irani Trophy by some distance and has the highest number of first-class hundreds to his name. The former cricketer, whose domestic career spanned between 1996 and 2020, aggregated 12,038 runs in Ranji Trophy and 19,410 runs in 260 first-class matches with 57 centuries.

A right-handed opening batsman, Jaffer made his debut in the 1996/97 season after plundering school-level cricket runs on Mumbai pitches. The Mumbaikar belonged to the particular breed of Asian right-handers who had silken wrists and loved working the field on the leg side. After a few prolific seasons in the Ranji Trophy, Jaffer was inducted into the India side against the visiting South Africans in 2000. 

The 44-year-old played 31 tests for India, scoring 1944 runs at a healthy average of 34.10. He was Orissa's coach last year and Punjab's batting coach from 2019-21.

Jaffer said about the opportunity: "I'm very excited at this opportunity to take up this job and prepare the Bangladesh Under-19 boys for the next level and work at the Bangladesh Cricket Board's high-performance centre (in Mirpur). I've worked with the Bangladesh Cricket Board earlier".

Jaffer has worked previously in Bangladesh as a batting consultant during an ODI series at home against Sri Lanka in 2019. 

During that period, Jaffer was involved with the Tigers' Under-19s and the Under-16 side at the BCB's academy in Mirpur. Bangladesh are the current Under-19 champions after defeating India in the final in February 2020.