Chandika Hathurusingha Would Be A Great Fit For Us: SLC President
Nov 23, 2017 at 1:59 PM
Ending all speculations surrounding Chandika Hathurusingha’s future, Sri Lanka Cricket for the first time confirmed their interest in the Bangladesh, head coach. Sri Lanka have been on the lookout for a head coach since June this year after Graham Ford stepped down from the post.
Hathurusingha had already expressed his desire of coaching Sri Lanka and had tendered his resignation in October when Bangladesh were playing in South Africa. Hathurusingha’s contract was due to end at the end of the 2019 World Cup, but he is now looking set to end his spell much before the contract’s expiry. SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has already written to his Bangladesh Cricket Board counterpart Nazmul Hassan over the issue.
Sumathipala, while confirming the board’s approach, said that Hathurusingha would be a great fit for Sri Lanka cricket
“There’s no doubt that Hathuru would be a great fit for us with the direction of both our short and long terms goals,” Sumathipala said. “I have written personally to the BCB President – Mr. Nazmul Hassan informing him of our intentions. The Executive Committee is both convinced & confident that he is the right man for the job, and we would like to bring him on board in a professional and transparent manner.”
Interestingly, if Hathurusingha becomes Sri Lanka coach, his first assignment will be against Bangladesh in January next year. Meanwhile, Bangladesh are also desperate to keep Hathurusingha with the team for obvious reasons.
During his tenure which started more than three years ago, Hathurusingha guided Bangladesh to the quarter-final of the 2015 World Cup, and the semi-final of the 2017 Champions Trophy in addition to ODI series wins over India, Pakistan and South Africa. In Tests, Bangladesh registered their first-ever wins against England and Australia at home, and against Sri Lanka away.
The chances of it, however, are looking very slim. Earlier this month, BCB president Nazmul Hasan had confirmed that the head coach submitted his resignation without mentioning any reason behind his decision.
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