Internet Desk: Bangladesh Cricket team coach Chandika Hathurusingha resigned from his post. There are reports that he might join Sri Lanka team as their head coach.
Hathurusingh was a former NSW Blues assistant coach and a former Sri Lankan cricketer too. He had sent his resignation in a letter during Bangladesh’s disastrous tour of South Africa last month, Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan told reporters.
“As far as I remember, he submitted a letter to me in early October. He didn’t give any specific reasons. He only said he wasn’t interested anymore,” Hasan told reporters in Dhaka.
“He is a professional coach. We will deal it professionally. We won’t force him but will ask him about the reason,” he said.
Hathurusingha is currently contracted with the BCB until the 2019 World Cup. Under his tenure, Bangladesh have made rapid strides in world cricket, beating England and Australia in Test matches at home in the past year, and reaching the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in England this year.
Since he replaced Australian Shane Jurgensen in 2014, Bangladesh have also reached the quarter-final of the World Cup in 2015 and won one-day international series against Pakistan, India and South Africa in the same year.
Hathurusingha, however, came under criticism during Bangladesh’s recent tour of South Africa, where the team failed to register a single win.
His name was first discussed as a potential Sri Lanka coach in Juneafter the resignation of South African Graham Ford. Ford stepped down that month halfway through a 45-month contract and just two weeks after the team’s early exit from the Champions Trophy.
The team have had an interim coach since Ford stepped down, with Nic Pothas stepping up from his role as fielding coach to take the head coach role on an interim basis.
Hathurusingha played 26 Tests and 35 ODIs for Sri Lanka before becoming the country’s assistant coach under Trevor Bayliss.