Siddons is named Bangladesh coach

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Jamie Siddons, considered by many experts to be the best Australian batsman never to have played Test cricket, has been appointed coach of Bangladesh's national team.

Siddons, 43, was due to arrive in Dhaka later on Monday to sign his contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the governing body.

He said: "I am thrilled to announce that I have accepted an offer from the BCB to coach the Bangladesh national team"

Siddons, an assistant coach with the Australian team, replaces compatriot Dav Whatmore, who stepped down after the Indian tour of Bangladesh in May.

His appointment was confirmed after fellow contender John Dyson, also of Australia, accepted an offer to coach the West Indies.

Siddons scored 11,587 first-class runs at 44.91 for Victoria and South Australia between 1984 and 2000, but never made it to the Australian Test squad although he played a solitary one-day international in 1988.

Siddons joins fellow Australians Dyson (West Indies), Geoff Lawson (Pakistan), Trevor Bayliss (Sri Lanka) and Tim Nielsen (Australia) who are coaching Test teams.

Siddons' first international assignment will be Bangladesh's tour of New Zealand in January for two Tests and three one-day internationals.

Bangladesh are also due to host South Africa in February.

Australia captain Ricky Ponting says he is one of eight players from his country expected to play in the Indian Cricket Board's new Twenty20 competition next year.

"There are a few things from what I saw in the contracts and everything that need to be worked out and smoothed over before all of us sign but I think it will happen," Ponting told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

"It's a very lucrative thing at the moment and a very attractive thing for four to six weeks out of your year."

Vice-captain Adam Gilchrist on Sunday became the first Australian player to confirm his participation in the league, ABC said. E-mail to a friend