Bangladesh head coach Hathurusinghe suspended by BCB on disciplinary grounds

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has suspended men’s team head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on disciplinary grounds for 48 hours, following which he will be ‘terminated’.

Bangladesh’s head coach Chandika Hathurusingha. (File Photo) | Photo Credit: PTI

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has suspended men’s team head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on disciplinary grounds for 48 hours, following which he will be ‘terminated’.

With the seasoned Sri Lankan coach’s exit, Phil Simmons will take over as an interim head coach until next year’s Champions Trophy. 

“The Board has taken disciplinary action against Hathurusinghe following complaints of misconduct. We have decided to appoint Simmons for a period of six months,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed told  Sportstar.

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After taking over as the head of the Board in August, Ahmed had indicated that Hathurusinghe would be shown the door ahead of Bangladesh’s home series against South Africa. Even though the team created history by winning a Test series against Pakistan last month, the embarrassing drubbing in the recently concluded series against India hastened Hathurusinghe’s removal from the top role.

While there was no official word,  Sportstar understands that the BCB is planning to appoint a local coach as the assistant coach, leading up to the Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held in February-March next year. While Mohammad Salahuddin, rated highly by the local players, could be considered, a few other names are also being discussed. 

Hathurusinghe was re-appointed as the head coach of Bangladesh in February last year, and under him, the team flattered to deceive in the ODI World Cup and also failed to reach the knockouts of this year’s T20 World Cup.