Bangladesh suspend head coach Chandika Hathurusingha after alleged assault of player

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Cricket Board has said that it had suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusingha for misconduct including an alleged assault of a player, the media reports said.

Trinidadian former all-rounder Phil Simmons has been appointed stand-in coach and will take the team up until the ICC Champions Trophy, set for Pakistan in February 2025, the Daily mirror reported.

"You can't assault a national player physically," BCB president Faruque Ahmed said on Tuesday while announcing Hathurusingha's suspension, without giving details of the alleged incident.

There was no immediate response from Hathurusingha.

The 56-year-old former Sri Lanka batsman was hired in 2023 for a second time as head coach, after a largely successful tenure with the side between 2014 and 2017.