Bangladesh have replaced head coach Chandika Hathurusingha after he was accused of punching a player.
Hathurusingha, the 56-year-old former Sri Lankan international who played 26 Tests for his country, was in his second spell as head coach of the Bangladesh men’s team but has been suspended for 48 hours for misconduct.
When those 48 hours expire, his contract will be “immediately terminated” and he will be replaced by Phil Simmons, the former West Indies coach, who will take over as interim head coach in the coming months.
According to reports, Hathurusingha was subject to a Bangladesh Cricket Board investigation after a player, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed, accused him of “inappropriate conduct”. Nasum claimed that Hathurusingha punched him.
“There were a few incidents that, as a former cricketer, were painful for me,” said BCB president Faruque Ahmed.
“Taking everything into consideration, we have issued a warning and suspended him from his role as coach. After 48 hours we will proceed with his discharge. The intimidation of a cricketer was one of the reasons. In addition, taking leave without permission is another problem.”
Bangladesh finished eighth out of ten teams at the World Cup, enough to qualify for the Champions Trophy, ahead of Sri Lanka. The Champions Trophy will take place in Pakistan and Simmons will remain in his post until the end of that tournament.
Ahmed took over the presidency in August this year and said in his first press conference in that role that Bangladesh wanted to find “someone better than” Hathurusingha to coach the national team, indicating a change was likely.
The timing, however, is curious. Bangladesh recently won a Test series 2-0 in Pakistan, then lost 2-0 in India, and will host South Africa for a two-match series from next Monday.
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