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TL;DR:
- Bangladesh Cricket Board suspends head coach Chandika Hathurusingha amid allegations of player assault and excessive leave-taking.
- Hathurusingha given 48 hours to respond to show-cause notice before contract termination.
- Phil Simmons appointed as interim head coach until the 2025 Champions Trophy.
- Decision follows Bangladesh’s poor performance in recent ODI and T20 World Cups, despite a historic Test series win against Pakistan.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusingha due to allegations of misconduct, including an alleged assault on a player. The announcement was made by BCB president Faruque Ahmed during a press conference in Mirpur on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
According to Ahmed, Hathurusingha has been served with a show-cause notice and has been suspended from his duties with immediate effect. The coach has been given 48 hours to respond to the notice, after which his contract will be terminated. The BCB has appointed former West Indies all-rounder Phil Simmons as the interim head coach until the Champions Trophy in February 2025.
Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lankan all-rounder, returned to the Bangladesh team as head coach for the second time in February 2023. During his tenure, Bangladesh experienced a disappointing performance in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India and the 2024 T20 World Cup. However, the team did achieve a historic 2-0 Test series whitewash against Pakistan, their first-ever win in the format in Pakistan and their first overseas Test series victory in 15 years.
Despite this success, Bangladesh failed to maintain their momentum, suffering a 0-2 defeat in the Test series and a 0-3 loss in the T20I series against India. Hathurusingha’s contract was set to expire after the 2025 Champions Trophy.
The BCB’s decision to suspend Hathurusingha comes after a thorough investigation into the allegations made by the player. Ahmed stated, “Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct. First is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract.”
The appointment of Phil Simmons as interim head coach is expected to bring stability to the Bangladesh team as they prepare for upcoming tours to South Africa, the UAE, and the West Indies, as well as the ICC Champions Trophy.
This incident serves as a reminder that misconduct and inappropriate behavior will not be tolerated within the Bangladesh cricket team, and the BCB is committed to maintaining a professional and respectful environment for all players and staff.
Source: The Daily Star
