Chandika Hathurusinghe suspended after Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons called replacement inappropriate behavior

Former West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons has been announced as interim head coach for the Bangladesh cricket team. The development comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) suspended Chandika Hathurusinghe as head coach of the national men’s team with immediate effect. Hathurusinghe has reportedly been suspended for inappropriate conduct during the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup in India last year.

An investigation was launched by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) after a player accused Hathurusinghe of hitting him during the major ICC event held last year. With Hathurusinghe’s contract suspended with immediate effect, Simmons, who has been appointed as interim coach, will remain with the Bangladesh team at least until the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy, which will take place in February.

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“Hathurusinghe has two charges of misconduct,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed said. “Firstly, it is about an attack on a player. Secondly, he has taken too much leave, more than what was in his contract.”

Not the best of the period as head coach for Chandika Hathurusinghe

It hasn’t been the best of spells as Bangladesh head coach for Chandika Hathurusinghe, whose tenure saw Bangladesh fail at the 2023 ODI World Cup and 2024 T20 World Cup. During his first tenure as head coach, Hathurusinghe had managed to take Bangladesh cricket forward in 2014-2017, with results to his name. Bangladesh were impressive in the 2017 Champions Trophy, a performance good enough to secure a place in the 2019 ODI World Cup.

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That said, it was during his stint as head coach of the Bangaldesh team that Pakistan managed to complete a historic 2-0 win over Pakistan in Tests. His departure from the Pakistan team comes at a crucial time for the team as it looks to rebuild.

Simmons, the man who replaced Hathurusinghe, has previously had coaching stints with Zimbabwe, Afghanistan and the West Indies.