Bangladesh suspend Hathurusingha as coach after alleged assault

DHAKA: The Bangladesh Cricket Board said Tuesday it had suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusingha for misconduct including an alleged assault of a player.

Trinidadian former all-rounder Phil Simmons has been appointed stand-in coach and will take the team up until the ICC Champions Trophy, set for Pakistan in February 2025. “You can´t assault a national player physically,” BCB president Faruque Ahmed said in announcing Hathurusingha´s suspension, without giving details of the alleged incident. There was no immediate response from Hathurusingha. The 56-year-old former Sri Lanka batsman was hired in 2023 for a second time as head coach, after a largely successful tenure with the side between 2014 and 2017.

The suspension follows Bangladesh´s tour of India, where they lost both Tests and all three T20s. Bangladesh next play South Africa at home, with the first of two Tests starting on October 21. They travel to the United Arab Emirates for three ODIs against Afghanistan starting November 6.