Bangladesh women’s head coach Sarwar Imran is recovering in the team hotel after what doctors have called a minor stroke, suffered late on Monday in Colombo. The side are in the Sri Lankan capital for their World Cup opener against Pakistan, due on Thursday.
Team manager SM Golam Faiyaz told reporters the 66-year-old felt light-headed for “a couple of days” before staff decided to get him checked.
“(Sarwar) Imran sir was feeling dizzy a couple of days ago, and it continued on Monday. We took him to the hospital where the doctors detected he had a minor brain stroke,” said Faiyaz.
Imran was discharged on Tuesday morning and, typically, wanted to head straight to training. The support staff disagreed.
“We asked sir to rest today,” Faiyaz said. “He is hopeful of going to the ground with us tomorrow (Wednesday).”
For a man who oversaw Bangladesh men’s first Test back in 2000, missing a net session clearly grates. Yet medical advice is firm: rest, regular checks, no rushing. A minor stroke can sound mild, but even a short interruption of blood flow to the brain leaves doctors cautious, especially in Colombo’s mid-thirties heat.
Imran only took charge of the women’s side in February, replacing Hashan Tillakaratne. Results since have been mixed—some tidy wins in qualifying, a couple of collapses too—but players praise his calm approach. The immediate question is whether he feels well enough to be in the dug-out on Thursday. Realistically, assistants are now running preparations, finalising a probable XI and sorting who bowls the new ball.
Still, his presence, even briefly at training, would offer a lift. Pakistan, who beat Bangladesh at the last World Cup, will fancy their chances on a dry SSC surface. With or without their head coach on the boundary rope, Bangladesh must make a sharp start if they want to progress beyond the group stage this time.
