Waqar, Murali take on coaching roles with Bengal

Waqar Younis and Muttiah Muralitharan have been appointed pace and spin bowling consultants respectively for Bengal, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) confirmed after its working committee meeting on Monday. The two have signed three-year contracts with the CAB and will begin working with the players in a four-day camp starting March 15.

Waqar and Murali were recommended by the former India captain Sourav Ganguly. Ranadeb Bose, the former Bengal seamer, will assist Waqar but Murali's assistant is yet to be appointed, after the former left-arm spinner Utpal Chatterjee ruled himself out. Ganguly will coach the batsmen and will be assisted by Bengal coach Ashok Malhotra, Goutam Shome (Jr) and Bengal Under-25 coach Joydeep Mukherjee.

"Everything has been passed. There's confusion over who would be the assistant spin coach," Ganguly was quoted in the Telegraph. "Nonetheless, it'll just be simple cricket coaching with Waqar and Murali and no rocket science.

"The cricketers will be picked from a screening camp. The first phase, beginning from March 15, will consist of 200 players. It will be for 30-35 days under Waqar and Murali, but local coaches will hold the camp throughout the year. The batting clinic will be held separately. I will be available (after the World T20), so we can do it at an appropriate time."

Waqar, the former Pakistan fast bowler, had coached Pakistan before stepping down in September 2011. He joined Sunrisers Hyderabad as a bowling consultant for the 2013 IPL season. Muralitharan, the former Sri Lanka offspinner who's still actively playing in T20 leagues around the world, was appointed as Sri Lanka's spin consultant in February 2013 but only in an advisory capacity.