- Bangladesh are reportedly set to sack their head coach this week
- Chandika Hathurusinghe has been accused of slapping one of his players
- The incident allegedly took place at last year’s 50-over World Cup in India
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe is reportedly set to be sacked this week after being accused of slapping 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 their nine matches and finished eighth out of 10 teams in the World Cup group standings, and it seems all was not happy in the camp as Hathurusinghe allegedly struck one of his players during the tournament, according to ESPN Cricinfo.
He has been handed a 48-hour suspension for the slap and allegedly taking too much holiday during his second stint at the helm, and his contract will be ‘terminated immediately’ after this period, with former West Indies opening batter Phil Simmons set to replace him.
‘Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct,’ BCB president Faruque Ahmed said. ‘First is about an assault on a player. Secondly, he took too many leaves, more than what was in his contract.’
Chandika Hathurusinghe (pictured) is set to be sacked by Bangladesh after allegedly slapping a player at last year’s World Cup
Hathurusinghe (right) has been suspended, and is due to be sacked later this week
Phil Simmons (pictured) will replace Hathurusinghe to take Bangladesh into the Champions Trophy
Hathurusinghe represented Sri Lanka during his playing days, and featured in 26 Tests and 35 one-day internationals for his country.
He was named in their squad for the 1992 and 1999 World Cups, but missed out when they won the coveted trophy in 1996.
Since retiring, 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 win in 15 years when completed a 2-0 victory over Pakistan last month.
But they subsequently lost 2-0 in Tests and 3-0 in a T20 series against India. The third match of the T20 series saw Bangladesh concede 297 runs – a record score for a match between Test playing nations.
Hathurusinghe is now set to depart his role just four months before the Champions Trophy takes place in Pakistan.