A day after Mumbai finished at the bottom of its group in the season-opening Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, Amit Pagnis has resigned as the head coach of the team.
“I would like to step down from the current position given the team’s performance in the Syed Mustaq Ali Trophy,” Pagnis wrote to the Mumbai Cricket Association office-bearers, in an email accessed by Sportstar.
“While I take responsibility for the team’s poor performance, wish to highlight that lack of preparation amidst the pandemic has been a major setback. (The) team barely got any time to prepare and practise together as a team.”
It will be interesting to see if the MCA apex council accepts his resignation or convinces him to continue for the Vijay Hazare Trophy, which is likely to start on February 17. The tone of Pagnis’ email though hinted at him being determined to move on.
“I will do everything I can to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible,” he concluded.
Pagnis, a former Mumbai and Railways opening batsman, was appointed as the senior team coach on December 17, barely a fortnight before the team had to enter a bio-secure hub for the inter-state T20 tournament.
Mumbai finished the six-team Group E at the bottom, registering its solitary victory in the last of the five encounters on Wednesday. After being annihilated by Delhi and Kerala, the Suryakumar Yadav-led outfit suffered a humiliating loss to Puducherry.
