A file photo from July 20, 2019 shows, Sri Lankan cricket team coach Chandika Hathurusinghe speaking during a press conference in Colombo. — AFP photo
The Bangladesh Cricket Board said on Wednesday that they would consider bringing back former coach Chandika Hathurusinghe if he applied for the vacant position of national team head coach.
Hathurusinghe resigned as Bangladesh coach in December 2017 after a relatively successful stint for three-and-a-half years and his successor Steve Rhodes failed to impress the BCB officials.
The BCB parted ways with Rhodes after the World Cup and sought application for new coach on July 11. The deadline for the application ended on July 18.
Hathurusinghe could not apply for the job as he is still contracted with Sri Lanka, a team that he guided to sixth place finish in the recent World Cup.
Sri Lankan sports minister recently ordered the sacking of Hathurusinghe, which would all but surely throw him in the job market at the end of upcoming series against Bangladesh.
The BCB president Nazmul Hasan at a press conference at his office said they will accept the application of Hathurusinghe if he applies but cannot approach him now as he is still contracted with Sri Lanka.
‘Now the Sri Lanka series is going on. So we are forbidden to talk to Hathurusinghe at the moment,’ Nazmul said.
‘If he wants a break and wants to return we will consider his candidacy as we are yet discuss specific things with any other candidate,‘ he said.
Nazmul took a swipe at former coach Rhodes for not working upto their expectations and added that his certain actions prompted them to go for the so called ‘mutual separation.’
‘He [Rhodes] is a nice person, no doubt. But people have different coaching styles. They have their own perception and we have ours,’ he said.
‘Before the World Cup, we made arrangements for practicing but he [Rhodes] made it optional and none came in the practice. This is a cultural mismatch….
‘Before the India and Pakistan match, he gave the players five days break. He could have given rest. These are two different things. Everyone left the country and travelled here and there. This is the way the concentration breaks down.
‘Before the match against Pakistan, Mushfiq [Mushfiqur Rahim] had sling on his hand and Mashrafee [bin Murtaza] was also not in the planning. We decided about the squad without them and then the next day, a different team started the match. These things never happened before,’ he added.
Nazmul added that they were planning to appoint a head coach who could work for next four years and ruled out the chance of consulting former South African opener Gary Kirsten over the matter.
The BCB president insisted that they would also review the national selection panel in the next board meeting on Saturday.
‘I will say that their [selectors] performances are really satisfactory. I didn’t see any of the players doing well and they didn’t pick. I didn’t also get any report of continuing with a formless cricketer in the team. I think it’s okay what they have done,’ he said.
‘However I don’t link the performances of the players with the selectors. There is nothing we can do if the team doesn’t perform well in the field despite the selectors picking the best possible team,’ he added.
Source: New Age.
