Chandika Hathurusingha is arguably the most controversial coach in Bangladesh’s cricket history. He has now accused the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of damaging his career, stating, “Cricket is everything to me—this is my career. Without giving me a chance to defend myself, they made accusations that destroyed my career.”
While Hathurusingha had some success during his first stint with Bangladesh, his second term was marred by controversy. The most serious allegation came during the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, where Bangladesh had a dismal campaign. Amid that disappointment, Hathurusingha was accused of physically assaulting spinner Nasum Ahmed.
Although this incident didn’t surface immediately, it was later reported in the media, sparking widespread criticism of the Sri Lankan coach. Despite the gravity of the allegation, the board led by Nazmul Hassan Papon took no visible action against him, which raised further eyebrows.
Following a political shift in Bangladesh on August 5 last year, newly appointed BCB President Faruque Ahmed took steps to remove Hathurusingha. At the time, Faruque stated, “You cannot physically assault a national player. The punishment for that is termination. It should have happened earlier. I’m glad it finally did.”
Hathurusingha, defending himself, said, “I’ve never had any arguments with players. I never showed emotion in front of them. Out of frustration, I may have thrown a dustbin—but that’s something any coach might do. What actually happened is completely different and has put a lot of pressure on me.”
Pointing fingers at current BCB President Faruque Ahmed, the controversial coach added, “I don’t even know how many opportunities I’ve missed since October.”
