DHAKA: Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been suspended on disciplinary grounds for 48 hours by the country’s cricket board (BCB) and will be sacked soon after, a report from ESPNCricinfo said on Tuesday.

Former West Indies head coach Phil Simmons will take charge on an interim basis until next year’s Cha­m­pions Trophy, the report added.

“Hathurusingha has two counts of misconduct,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed was quoted as saying. “First is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract.”

Hathurusingha, who coached Bangladesh from 2014-2017, returned for his second stint in January last year but Ahmed questioned BCB’s decision to re-appoint the 56-year-old.

Ahmed took charge of the BCB in August following Nazmul Hasan Papon’s resignation amid political upheaval in the country and said Hathurusingha should not continue as head coach.

Under Hathurusingha, Bangla­desh failed to get past the group stage in the last two World Cups but registered a historic 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan in September — their first overseas series victory in the format in 15 years.

However, India then whitewashed Bangladesh at home in a two-match Test series and secured a clean sweep in a three-match T20I series last week.

Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2024