DHAKA, Bangladesh — On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) terminated the contract of national team coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, following accusations of assaulting a player during the 50-over World Cup in India last year.

BCB president Faruque Ahmed stated, “Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct.” The first count pertains to the alleged assault on a player, while the second involves him taking an excessive number of leaves beyond what was stipulated in his contract.

The board issued a notice to Hathurusinghe, a Sri Lankan national, and placed him on a 48-hour suspension before formally ending his contract. Ahmed explained, “His suspension is for a 48-hour notice period, which we are not bound to give him, but we did it out of courtesy as he is an international figure.” He added that a termination will follow this period.

In the interim, former West Indies cricketer Phil Simmons has been appointed to take over as head coach until the Champions Trophy scheduled for February next year. Simmons brings a wealth of experience, having previously held coaching positions with teams such as Zimbabwe, Ireland, West Indies, and Afghanistan.

While details of the alleged assault remain vague, some media reports have suggested that Hathurusinghe physically struck the player involved. Ahmed remarked on the victim’s discomfort, stating, “I will not mention his name. This incident shouldn’t have happened.”

Additionally, Ahmed revealed that Hathurusinghe’s absences from work exceeded three months, contributing significantly to the misconduct charges. “He informed us in a scattered way, in one or two emails, that he has to go home,” Ahmed explained. “It can’t be for more than three months … so there was a serious breach in that regard.”

Hathurusinghe took over as the coach of Bangladesh last year, under his leadership, the team achieved its most notable overseas Test victory by beating Pakistan 2-0 in a two-match series. However, the team soon faced difficulties, suffering a 2-0 Test series loss to India, as well as a crushing 3-0 defeat in the T20 series last month.

As of now, Hathurusinghe has not made any public remarks regarding his dismissal.