Australia give Bangladesh more assistance

Australia will continue to help Bangladesh with their cricket development after the two nations agreed to a new two-year deal. Cricket Australia (CA) will prepare a coaching manual, train Bangladeshi coaches, establish an umpires' management system and train young players at Australia's Centre of Excellence.

Mahmudur Rahman, the Bangladesh Cricket Board chief executive, said Bangladesh would pay for the assistance but were pleased to receive it. "It will be a huge boost to our cricket and we hope our cricket will reach a higher level because of Australian help," Rahman told AFP.

A previous five-year agreement that expired in 2006 allowed young cricketers from Bangladesh to train under Australian coaches. The new deal was confirmed by a CA spokesman, who said the program should see Bangladesh - who have beaten India and South Africa at the World Cup - become an even stronger team.

"Although Australia compete with Bangladesh, it's in our long-term interests for cricket to develop as a global sport," the spokesman said. The new program is set to run for two years but with an option to extend it for a further two years.