Hathurusingha resigns
Sports Reporter
Chandika Hathurusingha has resigned from the post of head coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), its president Nazmul Hassan Papon has confirmed. The BCB has said it would not force Hathurusingha to stay on. It is yet to provide any details as to what actually led the coach to take the decision.
I cant give the details as we couldnt contact him over the past few days, Papon told reporters yesterday. We had a big communication gap with him during the series against South Africa. We were busy with the election. And something happened in the South Africa. That was such a horrible series for us. Since he went on holiday after that, there was no chance to talk to him about the series, he said.
The BCB president also said that if Hathurusinghas resignation was the manifestation of an emotional outburst, they would try to resolve the matter. However, if he took the decision for other reasons, they would not force him to stay, he added.
If he doesnt enjoy his work in Bangladesh, why should we force him to stay? He must love his work here. Theres no point in convincing him if he doesnt love the work anymore! Papon said.
I definitely need to know what actually happened here. Ive no complaint about his resignation. But I would like to talk to him to know what really made him take this decision. Hopefully, Ill be able to talk to him at the end of this month, he added.
Papon, however, admitted that the
sudden resignation of Hathurusingha would disrupt his plan centring the future of Bangladesh cricket.
Hathurusingha was given the contract for the 2019 World Cup when the board retained him for the second term. He would have to serve a one-month notice before leaving the country as per the contract. Senior players complained about the head coach more than once to Papon as he became more autocratic after the board gave him a fresh contract in the middle of 2016 with huge remunerations and power to intervene in selection of players.
Paon said he was aware of the strained relations between the coach and the players, buthe could not understand the reason behind it. Hathurusingha often asked me why the players always complained against him. I also couldnt understand the matter, he added.
He said the BCB might appoint a local coach for an interim period before appointing a foreign coach permanently. He indicated that a local coach may take the charge of the team during the home series against Sri Lanka in January. We wont appoint any local coach permanently for sure. But at the same time, you cant get a quality coach within a short time, he added.
Hathurusingha had almost resigned from his post in October last year. But the board was successful in stopping him then. During Bangladeshs tour in Sri Lanka earlier this year, Hathurusingha himself showed his desire to coach the Sri Lankan team if the board so wanted.
According to the news from Sri Lanka, the Lankan board has agreed to pay and give the same remuneration to him as the BCB. Hathurusinghas decision may have come in the wake of the strained ties with senior players and also because he wanted to work with the Sri Lankan board.
Hathurusingha broght about substantial improvement to the Bangladesh side, particularly in ODI cricket. He began as a coach for Bangladesh with a 2-0 loss to the ODI series against India and then saw his side struggling in West Indies. Then, he suggested the board to introduce split captaincy, a move which was regarded as a masterstroke in the countrys cricket history.
