Bangladesh cricket team coach Chandika Hathurusingha joined the practice session at Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in the morning on Tuesday. By the evening, he should have known that he would no longer be in the position.
In the afternoon, BCB president Faruque Ahmed formally announced the head coach’s dismissal at a press conference, saying though his contract was supposed to continue until the Champions Trophy in 2025, his tenure has already come to an end.
Hathurusingha has been served with a show-cause notice and asked to respond within 48 hours. He will remain suspended during the period, and it will be followed by a final dismissal after his response.
Faruque Ahmed has a ‘bitter’ experience with Hathurusingha, as he, during his earlier position as the chief selector, developed differences with the coach on various issues. At one point, he resigned from the position and has since been critical of the coach on different issues concerning cricket.
Assuming the position of the BCB president recently, he made it clear in his maiden press conference that his position on Hathurusingha is still unchanged. He also questioned the coach’s ability in serving the responsibilities on different occasions.
There have been widespread speculations that the personal animosity might be a driving force behind the dismissal of Hathurusingha. Faruque Ahmed, however, dismissed the claims, saying, “Personal preferences do great harm to a team. If you work professionally, the personal preferences will go away. Personal likes and dislikes played no role here.”