New BCB president Faruque feels team needs "someone better" than Hathurusinghe as head coach
Aug 22, 2024
Dhaka [Bangladesh], August 22 : Newly appointed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed condemned team head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, saying that he wants to find someone better for his job.
Faruque was elected as the new president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) during a board meeting on Wednesday in Dhaka.
In his first press conference as the new BCB president, Faruque said as quoted by Wisden, "I am yet to find out about Chandika Hathurusinghe's contract. I have to see some stuff officially but I have not moved from my previous stance. I have to speak to my colleague over the next two or three days and see if we can find someone better than him. We have to prepare a shortlist, and see who wants to join us on."
Faruque had previously been critical of Chandika's record as a coach. Previously speaking on the Youtube Show 'Not Our Norman', he had said about the coach, "His credibility and background of what he has done on and off the field, there is no reason for him to stay [as Bangladesh head coach]. You will lose some money [if you sack him], but there will be greater damage by his presence. I had noticed that it is impossible to work in the environment he wants to work in."
Having returned to the coaching last year for Bangladesh last year, Bangladesh finished at number eight in the tournament, winning just two matches and losing seven games. Bangladesh qualified for the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup this year, but lost every match in that phase. Before the T20 WC, they had lost a three-match series to the USA, an associate ICC member.
Since Chandika's return to the head coach, there has been instability in the dressing room, mostly related to a reported rift between senior stars Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal.
"It was a real blunder to bring back Hathurusinghe for a second stint [as Bangladesh head coach]. He had left us in trouble the last time he left the job [in 2017]. Bangladesh was a stepping stone for him. He went back to his country and became their head coach. I could not believe that a 25-member board of directors, including the president, could make such a decision. I hope they are realising their mistake," he concluded.
Faruque became the first BCB president to have played competitive cricket. He represented Bangladesh in seven ODIs between 1988 and 1999 and led Bangladesh in the ICC Trophy in 1994.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is taking on Pakistan in a two-match Test series, starting on August 21. The second Test of the two-match series is set to be played from August 30 to September 3. Both the games of the series will be played at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.