Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, the BCB director, wants Phil Simmons to continue in his role as Bangladesh head coach till the 2027 ODI World Cup. Fahim said the board would have official discussions with Simmons soon, and is hoping to get him for the role on a long-term basis.
The contract extension was one of several topics discussed during a board meeting in Dhaka on Monday.
Simmons was appointed in October last year on an interim role. During his four-month stint, Bangladesh won just one series, a 3-0 win against West Indies in T20Is. The team made an early exit from the Champions Trophy, too, after losing to India and New Zealand. Their last game, against Pakistan, was washed out.
Despite that, Simmons has won the approval of both the BCB president Faruque Ahmed and director Fahim, the two most influential figures in the current board.
"The contracts of our head coach and senior assistant coach was till mid-March," Fahim said. "We are satisfied with them, so we will get in touch with them for renegotiation. If we can't get into an understanding with them, we have to think about other options. We are hopeful of reaching a mutual understanding with them. We are thinking of extending their contracts till the 2027 World Cup.
"We will speak to him formally very soon. I have seen him from up close. I am convinced he will do well with the Bangladesh team. I have also seen the interpersonal relationships he has with the local coaches and the players. I think he will do well here."
The BCB is also set to renew the contract of senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who was also appointed on a short-term basis last November. One of the reasons that the board has felt encouraged to renew the contracts of both Simmons and Salahuddin is their willingness to work with each other. ESPNcricinfo understands that one of Simmons' mandates was to give freedom to local coaches.
In addition, the board has decided to renew the contract of spin-bowling coach Mushtaq Ahmed, while also accepting Hannan Sarkar's resignation as a selector. Fahim said that the BCB is also keen on improving the fielding in the senior team. To achieve that, the board is talking to multiple fielding coaches to join the set-up.