Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and have inflicted disciplinary actions against him. He has suffered suspension for 48 hours and will be relieved from his duties upon return.
Moreover, the board has also sent him a show cause notice. He has suffered a sacking due to allegedly slapping a Bangladesh player during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India. The player complained to the BCB which prompted the board to get into investigation. Upon investigation, BCB have decided to sack him from the post of Head Coach of the team.
BCB president Faruque Ahmed told ESPNCricinfo:
“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.”
Phil Simmons set to replace Hathurusinghe as the Head Coach
Former West Indies cricketer, Phil Simmons, is set to replace Hathurusinghe as the head coach and will remain in post till the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, scheduled in Pakistan. Bangladesh are coming back to the country after a dismal tour of India where they lost all the games ( suffering a 2-0 whitewash in the Test series and a 3-0 whitewash in the T20I series). However, they did manage to beat Pakistan 2-0 in the Test series away from home before arriving in India.
Chandika Hathurusinghe’s journey with Bangladesh cricket has been quite a rollercoaster ride. He was first appointed as the head coach back in 2014, and under his guidance, the team saw some significant improvements.
After a stint away, the Bangladesh Cricket Board brought him back due to his previous success and familiarity with the team’s dynamics. So, in early 2023, Hathurusinghe was reappointed, marking his return to lead the Tigers, much to the excitement of fans who remembered his earlier tenure fondly.
