Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) finally discharged its assistant coach cum spin bowling coach Ruwan Kalpage after being failed to join the camp by the deadline of August 16.
The BCB however took the decision yesterday just three days after the deadline is crossed. During his last arrival in Dhaka, he like other foreign coaches was given an extension till the 2019 World Cup.
BCB director and its operation committee chairman Akram Khan in this regard said that they have taken the decision to terminate Kalpage as per the agreement.
“We had sent a letter from the board following a notice asking him to come back and join the ongoing preparation camp with the other coaching staffs by August 16. But he didn’t even answer to the letter. And so, he have discharged him,” said Akram Khan.
“We have a bilateral home series against England on October. So, we are thinking to fill up the void as early as possible,” the former captain told The Independent.
Following the terror attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia in July that killed 22 people, the foreign coaching staffs of the Bangladesh team expressed their security concerns with the board.
Taking their concern seriously, BCB revamped their security arrangements and stepped up the security in and out of the stadium. Along with that, they recruited armed gunman and personal bodyguards for the safety of the foreign coaches.
After being satisfied with the board’s security arrangements, Bangladesh fielding coach Richard Halsall and strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayen turned up for work in Dhaka from their respective country. Chandika Hathurusingha, the head coach for the Tigers, thereafter followed them. But Chandika’s compatriot Kalpage had showed dissatisfaction with BCB’s arrangement.
It is known from the BCB insiders that the reason behind Kalpage’s delay was that he demanded with the board a hike in his payment. Actually he wanted to take the advantage of the situation.
Soon after Hathurusingha’s appointment, Kalpage had joined in July 2014. He previously had a stint in Bangladesh between March 2008 and April 2010 as the National Cricket Academy (NCA) head coach.
Now the board is thinking to fill the vacuum of the post as early as possible keeping the next home series in mind. The series is scheduled to kick start in the first week of October.
It is learnt that Richard Halsall may be replaced  Kalpage as the assistant coach. Halsall, who is currently the fielding coach of Bangladesh, has the previous experience of working as an assistant coach in England team from 2011-14. He is the board’s first choice as Kalpage’s replacement for the post.
“Halsall was the assistant coach of the England team. We have plans to appoint him in that post but we are yet to finalise it,” Khan said while he was asked to appoint Richard Halsall in place of Kalpage.