New Delhi [India], October 15 : Ahead of the Test series against South Africa at home, Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe was suspended on disciplinary grounds by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday, following allegations of assaulting a player.
"We have suspended Chandika Hathurusinghe due to his misconduct," Faruque Ahmed, President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), told ANI.
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Hathurusinghe was largely dismissed due to disciplinary reasons, which include his tendency to frequently take holidays and travel to his home in Australia, Ahmed said.
West Indies cricket legend Phil Simmons has been appointed as interim head coach in his place.
This was Hathurusinghe's second stint as the national team's head coach, having rejoined the side in February last year.
Under his tenure, the Bangladesh cricket team achieved a clean sweep against Pakistan in a two-match series held in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
His last assignment was in India, where the team played a two-match Test series and a three-match T20I series. Bangladesh lost the Test series 2-0 and the T20I series 3-0.
"Hathurusinghe has two counts of misconduct. The first is assaulting a player, and the second is taking more leave than allowed in his contract," BCB President Faruque Ahmed said in an official statement.