Hathurusingha lodges his dismissal as Tigers' head coach 'premeditated'

Former Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha cleared on Friday his stance regarding the allegations lodged against him and also claimed his dismissal to be premeditated.

The disciplinary issues forced the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to terminate his contract. Hathurusingha added that he is committed to fully cooperate with any investigation regarding him breaching the code of conduct, reports Cricbuzz.

BCB suspended Hathurusingha for 48 hours on October 15 (Tuesday) which resulted in his termination from the post, citing his response to the show-cause letter as unsatisfactory.

There were two major disciplinary issues the BCB had raised against Hathurusingha. Firstly, he was accused of a physical and verbal confrontation with a player during the Men's World Cup in India in 2023. His second count of misconduct stemmed from the Sri Lankan having taken more leaves than granted in his contract.

"I am writing this letter to address the recent allegations made by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) questioning my integrity and professionalism regarding an alleged assault on a player during the 2023 World Cup match and claims of excessive leave taken without permission. I cannot allow this presumption unchallenged without responding. I believe it is essential to clarify the facts as I see them surrounding these accusations and present my side of the story," Hathurusingha said in a statement.

"Firstly, the alleged incident purportedly occurred in the players' dugout or dressing room, a location that is under constant surveillance during World Cup matches. With over 40 to 50 cameras capturing every moment of the game, I didn't get an opportunity cross examination an accuser nor witness any if at all there.

"Furthermore, if the incident was as serious as claimed, it is perplexing that the player involved did not report the incident to the team manager or any authority immediately following the alleged event. If a complaint was made, I wonder why I was not questioned or approached for my side of the story at that time. It raises the question as to why the narrative was orchestrated months later by an individual on YouTube?," he added.

Hathurusingha also cleared his position as far as taking excessive leaves was concerned.

"Regarding the claims of taking leave, I want to clarify that I have consistently sought and received approval from both the CEO and the Chairman of Cricket Operations whenever I have taken personal leave. At no time did the BCB tell me that they were unhappy with my leave situation, but conversely, every time I asked for leave, it was granted by BCB. At no time did I go on leave without their authorization.

"When the new Board members alleged that I had taken excessive leave, they did not account for public holidays, such as Eid, nor the Fridays which may have occurred during my leave. Nor did they give credit for when I did not take allowed time off during public holidays. As I understand it, according to Bangladesh labour law, I am entitled to "time in lieu" for work done on Fridays. Additionally, as a BCB employee, I am entitled to leave on Fridays and a half-day off on Thursdays," he said.

"It is also important to highlight that during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), it is common practice for foreign coaches to take leave. This is not an exception unique to me but rather a norm established for many foreign coaches before my tenure. However, leave taken during BPL is not considered over and above the leave entitlement as per my contract," he added.

Hathurusingha said that the allegation are premeditated and put his logic behind it.