Decision on Hathurusingha will be taken after Pakistan series
Following the filing of a murder case against Shakib Al Hasan, a legal notice was sent to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requesting his removal from the team and return to the country. However, the BCB president clarified that no decisions would be made during the ongoing Test series, and there is no option to bring him back in the middle of the series.
The BCB president is also taking a cautious approach regarding the future of the national team’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha, and does not wish to make any decisions during the series. Even before being elected as BCB president, Faruque expressed his views on not retaining Hathurusingha. In an interview, Faruque stated that he saw no reason to keep him as the head coach of Bangladesh.
After becoming president, his stance remained unchanged. While he reiterated his position, he also indicated that any decisions would only be made after the series ends. On Thursday, Faruque mentioned that Hathurusingha’s situation was discussed during the BCB board meeting. He indicated that a decision regarding the coach would be made after the series.
He said, “We discussed Hathurusingha. As I mentioned earlier about Shakib Al Hasan’s [murder case], we don’t want to take any actions in the middle of a Test match. Now, we have to think about not disturbing anything during the series… As a head of an autonomous body, you can make decisions at any time. But we need to consider that we don’t disturb other matters.”
The BCB president emphasized that just because no decision is being made now, it doesn’t mean it won’t happen later. He explained, “That doesn’t mean we can never make a decision. What’s best for us… let this Test series finish, we are discussing, gathering everyone’s opinions, and we will try our best. It’s like an investigation—how much damage has been done to Bangladesh cricket. We will carefully evaluate and then make a decision. Rest assured, you will see something in the near future.”
When asked why decisions regarding Hathurusingha cannot be made during the series, the BCB president responded, “When you are the head of an organization… I don’t want to be authoritarian. You know my work style. It remains the same as it was before. I will follow that. It’s only been seven days, maybe in another seven or fourteen days, a decision can be made. Right?”
Hathurusingha, on the other hand, is looking forward to having discussions with the new leadership at BCB. Ahead of the second Test against Pakistan, he stated, “I understand that some new faces have come into leadership. I can sense their perspective. However, I am waiting for the opportunity to speak with them when I return to Bangladesh.” Bangladesh, having won the first Test against Pakistan, will face the hosts in the second and final Test tomorrow.
