- Bangladesh was set to sack its head coach this week
- Chandika Hathurusinghe is accused of hitting one of his players
- The incident is said to have taken place during the 50-over World Cup in India last year
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe will reportedly be sacked this week after being accused of punching a player during last year’s 50-over World Cup in India.
Hathurusinghe, 56, was reappointed as Bangladesh’s head coach in 2023 after first taking charge of the team between 2014 and 2017.
However, Bangladesh lost seven of nine matches to finish eighth out of ten teams in the World Cup group standings, and it seems everyone in the camp was unhappy as Hathurusinghe reportedly punched one of his players during the tournament, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
He has been given a 48-hour suspension for the punch and for taking too much holiday during his second spell at the helm. His contract will be ‘terminated immediately’ after this period, with former West Indies opening batsman Phil Simmons set to replace him.
“Hathurusinghe has two charges of misconduct,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed said. ‘The first is about an attack on a player. Secondly, he took too much leave, more than was stated in his contract.’
Chandika Hathurusinghe (pictured) will be sacked by Bangladesh after allegedly punching a player during last year’s World Cup
Hathurusinghe (right) has been suspended and will be fired later this week
Phil Simmons (pictured) will replace Hathurusinghe to take Bangladesh to the Champions Trophy
Hathurusinghe represented Sri Lanka during his playing days, appearing in 26 Tests and 35 one-day internationals for his country.
He was included in their squad for the 1992 and 1999 World Cups, but missed out when they won the coveted trophy in 1996.
Since his retirement, he has coached in the UAE, Sri Lanka, Australia and Bangladesh.
During his second spell as Bangladesh head coach, he led the side to their first overseas Test series victory in 15 years when he completed a 2-0 victory over Pakistan last month.
But they went on to lose 2-0 in Tests and 3-0 in a T20 series against India. In the third match of the T20 series, Bangladesh conceded 297 runs – a record score for a match between Test-playing nations.
Hathurusinghe will now step down from his role just four months before the Champions Trophy takes place in Pakistan.