Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took initiative to sack the head coach of the national cricket team, Chandika Hathurusingha, and issued a show-cause notice.
BCB President Faruque Ahmed confirmed on Tuesday at BCB headquarters that the board has decided to issue notice to Chandika. He was also asked to submit a reply to the show-cause notice in 48 hours.
“Due to several incidents with broad consequences, we have taken action by issuing a show-cause and suspension letter to the coach,” Faruque Ahmed said.
It’s understood that Chandika is accused of assaulting a national team member physically. The board has yet to reveal the incident in a more detailed manner. He was also involved in misconduct related to his agreement with the BCB.
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Phil Simmons will now be the new coach of the Bangladesh team. He signed an agreement till the next Champions Trophy which is scheduled to take place in Pakistan in 2025.
As Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika’s last assignment was the India tour, consisting of two Tests and three T20Is. Bangladesh lost all the matches without offering any kind of resistance.
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His best in this stint was Bangladesh’s 2-0 win in the Test series against Pakistan in Pakistan. But that was not enough to back his position as Bangladesh’s head coach.
Faruque became the president of the BCB after the previous president, Nazmul Hasan, resigned following a popular uprising of students and citizens that ousted the government led by Sheikh Hasina.
Chandika’s appointment as head coach last February by the previous board was met with a mixed reaction from the cricketing community.
He coached Bangladesh in the last one-day and T20 World Cups, where Bangladesh failed to impress. Bangladesh’s performance in the one-day World Cup in India was more than forgettable, where they failed to win even against the Netherlands.
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Farque Ahmed, the BCB boss, who also was a former captain of Bangladesh, criticized Chandiaka’s appointment when the previous board brought him back.
Faruque and Chandika have a history of disagreements. During Chandika's first stint as Bangladesh's head coach, Faruque, then serving as the chief selector, often clashed with him over team selection, making their differences a frequent topic in the news.
Chandika became Bangladesh’s coach for the first time in 2014. After a series in South Africa, he abruptly ended his job with BCB in 2017. Coincidently, he now lost his job before another series against South Africa at home.