Bangladesh's cricket authorities declared that the door is still open for former cricket coach Dav Whatmore to return after his bid for the vacant India [ Images ] job failed.

"Our door is still open for Whatmore. He is a great coach and (the) Bangladesh team has improved a lot during his four-year tenure," Bangladesh Cricket Board General Secretary Mahbub Anam told AFP.

Anam, who heads the board's coach-hunting mission, launched when Whatmore quit last month, said Bangladesh had not said goodbye to the Australian coach, noting: "He made the decision to leave the post."

The BCB had reportedly offered an improved package after Whatmore decided to seek the high-profile job of Indian coach immediately after Greg Chappell [ Images ] quit during the Caribbean World Cup.

But on Monday Indian authorities picked South African Graham Ford [ Images ] as frontrunner for the post and said Whatmore is out of contention.

The 53-year-old was an early favourite for one of the toughest coaching jobs in cricket after he publicly expressed his interest in taking on Rahul Dravid's [ Images ] men.

Under Whatmore, cricket minnows Bangladesh won their first Test and beat teams such as Australia [ Images ], South Africa [ Images ] and India in one-day internationals.

The BCB this week made Australian Shaun Williams interim coach for Bangladesh's five-week tour of Sri Lanka [ Images ] later this month and said a new coach would be named after the tour.