Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe has been suspended by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on disciplinary grounds. His suspension is for 48 hours, following which his contract will be “terminated immediately.” The board has also issued him a show-cause notice. Phil Simmons will step in as the interim head coach until the 2025 Champions Trophy.
Two misconduct charges against Hathurusinghe
As reported by ESPN Cricinfo, BCB president Faruque Ahmed revealed the reasons behind Hathurusinghe’s suspension. “There are two counts of misconduct,” Ahmed said. “First, he assaulted a player, and secondly, he took more leaves than allowed in his contract.”
Hathurusinghe returned to Bangladesh as head coach in February last year for his second tenure. However, after Faruque Ahmed became the board president in August, he expressed that Hathurusinghe should no longer remain in the role.
Mixed results under Hathurusinghe’s leadership
During Hathurusinghe’s time as coach, Bangladesh delivered disappointing performances in last year’s ODI World Cup and this year’s T20 World Cup. His notable achievement was Bangladesh’s historic 2-0 Test series victory against Pakistan, their first-ever win in Pakistan and their first overseas Test series win in 15 years. However, Bangladesh suffered defeats during their India tour, losing 2-0 in Tests and 3-0 in T20Is, including a record loss by 133 runs in the third match.
