Faruque still keen on removing Hathurusingha

Newly appointed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed said he had not changed his mind about removing Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathuruisngha. Faruque Ahmed was nominated to become the new board president at a meeting at the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Wednesday after former president Nazmul Hassan Papon forwarded his resignation.

The 58-year-old former Bangladesh cricketer had expressed his disapproval of having Hathurusingha at the helm, saying he would remove the Sri Lankan coach if he were to take charge.

When asked whether he still had the same point of view, Faruque asserted that his position regarding Hathurusingha had not changed.

“I am not exactly aware of the contract situation with Chandika Hathurusingha. I have the same position [about removing Hathurusingha],” Faruque told reporters at the Ministry of Youth and Sports on Wednesday.

“Now, I have to consider a few things officially. Whether we can find someone better than him or someone of equal calibre is something we will have to see. I still have the same stand [on Hathurusingha].”

Hathurusingha is currently in charge of the Bangladesh team who are playing the first Test of the two-match series against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. He had already said at the pre-match press conference that he would accept whichever direction the board takes regarding his role as head coach on Tuesday to perhaps avoid any outside noise surrounding him but the new board president making it clear amid an ongoing series that he does not prefer to have the current head coach in charge creates the unwanted commotion that Hathursingha perhaps hoped to avoid and puts a blemish on Faruqe’s first day in charge.