Bangladesh Coach Suspended and to be Terminated After Allegedly Slapping Player During ODI World Cup: Report

Chandika Hathurusinghe’s second stint as head coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team has come to an abrupt end. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) terminated his contract following an alleged disciplinary incident during the 2023 ODI World Cup.

According to ESPNCricinfo, the incident involves two incidents. One is the head coach slapping an unnamed player and the coach taking too many leaves than what was allowed in his contract, which has resulted in a 48-hour suspension, then followed by his ‘immediate termination’.

“Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct, The first is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract,” BCB President Faruque Ahmed said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. 

This decision follows a string of disappointing performances under Hathurusinghe’s leadership, particularly in the 2023 ODI and 2024 T20 World Cups.

While Bangladesh aimed to replicate the success of his first tenure (2014-2017), which included a memorable semi-final appearance in the 2017 Champions Trophy, the team struggled to make an impact on the world stage.

Despite a historic Test series win against Pakistan earlier this year, Bangladesh faltered against a dominant Indian side. Rohit Sharma’s men handed them resounding defeats in both the Test and T20I series, exposing vulnerabilities across formats.

Hathurusinghe’s reappointment in February 2023 was met with scepticism from several former captains and even the current BCB chairman, Faruque Ahmed. The recent incident seems to have solidified the board’s decision to pursue a fresh direction.

Stepping in as interim coach until the 2025 Champions Trophy is former West Indies cricketer, Phil Simmons. Simmons brings a wealth of experience, having previously coached Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and the West Indies, with whom he achieved T20 World Cup glory.

The BCB will be hoping Simmons can leverage his expertise to revitalize the team and guide them towards a more successful future. Simmons begins his stint as coach with Bangladesh taking South Africa for a two-match Test series starting on October 21, followed by Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series starting on November 6.

Simmons will also have to deal with the loss of the veteran Bangladeshi all-rounder, Shakib Al Hasan who will look to play his final game at home during the South Africa Tests.