Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed said that Bangladesh will take a call on Chandika Hathurusinghe’s tenure as the men’s head coach before.
The home season gets underway. Back in 2023, Hathurusinghe returned to the Tigers’ coaching setup on a two-year deal after serving them from 2014 to 2017 in his first stint. Under Hathurusinghe, Bangladesh recently beat Pakistan 2-0 in their overseas Test series and are now set to take part in a two-match Test series against India. But Ahmed, who recently replaced Najmul Hasan Papon as the BCB chief, said that he would want to look at Hathurusinghe for the next few months before zeroing in on a decision.
“We are closing in on another important series against India, and now the team should remain stress free and play their natural game. But let me make it clear that I have not changed my stance and I don’t want to assess anyone going by a particular series. For me, it’s about looking at someone’s performance during his tenure,” Ahmed told Sportstar.
‘We will assess his tenure’
Hathurusinghe recently came under fire after Bangladesh failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 and the T20 World Cup earlier this year in the West Indies and USA.
“Chandika has been with the team for a while, and there have been quite a few unsuccessful campaigns – including abysmal performances in the ODI and T20 World Cups,” the BCB president said.
“We will assess his tenure and it’s not just about coaching, there are other parameters as well. We need to see the team environment, look at his behaviour with senior and junior players and then make a decision. But this is not the right time. We will do the assessment and take a call on his future before our home season begins,” Ahmed added.
After touring India, the Tigers will tour the West Indies for a multi-format series in November-December. Bangladesh are set to begin their campaign in India with the opening Test, starting September 19 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.