Australia hire Sridharan Sriram as spin consultant for Bangladesh tour

Melbourne, September 20 - Australia have hired former India all-rounder Sridharan Sriram as a coaching consultant to counter the spin-friendly conditions they will encounter in their upcoming tour of Bangladesh.

Sriram, 39, a left-hand batsman and left-arm spinner, played eight One-Day Internationals (ODIs) for India. He is best known for being a prolific run-maker for Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu in India's domestic cricket.

Sriram has served as assistant coach to Indian Premier League (IPL) sides before. He worked with the Australia A side during its recent tour of India, Cricket Australia said on their website on Sunday.Australia face Bangladesh in a two-Test series next month.

"Working with the Australian Test team is a great honour," Sriram told the website on Sunday.

"I've played international cricket for India and I’m looking forward to sharing my experience and knowledge of subcontinental conditions with the squad. The Australian cricket team talks about 'one-percenters' and my role will be to contribute that one percent to help the team adapt to the conditions and opponents quickly."

"In the long run, I see myself as someone who can help the Australian batsmen become better players of spin bowling and also help spinners understand the psyche and technique of different batsmen and adapt to different conditions," he added.

(IANS)