Chandika Hathurusingha shared on Monday that he was eager to remain Bangladesh’s head coach for the entirety of his contract – until Champions Trophy 2025 as well but he is also ready to go if the new board does not want his service anymore. However, Hathurusingha’s future came under scanner following the change in government that saw a change in the board structure. Furthermore, BCB president Nazmul Hasan, who has been very supportive of Hathurusingha, has shared his decision to relinquish his post as well.
“I don’t know what’s happening back home. I have signed a contract till whatever the date. I am looking forward to serve the term,” Hathurusingha told reporters in Islamabad on Monday. “If the board changes and the new people want to make a change, I am okay with that. If they want to continue with me, I am happy to continue,” he said.
However. Hathurusingha also thanked the Pakistan Cricket Board for understanding their situation and allowing them to arrive early in preparation for the two-match Test series as well which is part of the ICC Test Championship. Notably, Bangladesh had a three-day camp in Lahore before moving to Islamabad before the series that is slated to begin on August 21 in Rawalpindi, where both the Test matches will be played.
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“The Lahore facilities are excellent. We thank the PCB for inviting us to come early. We had good three days of practice over there. We had six players come earlier in the A team in Islamabad. In terms of preparation, we are very happy. In terms of mood, we are very much looking forward to the challenge,” Hathurusingha said. “The Pindi pitch looks more favorable for fast bowling and batting. They also didn’t pick any spinners. Lately, we have developed a lot of good fast bowlers in our rank as well. If the condition favours, they will do well. Shakib Al Hasan and Miraz are two world-class all-rounders. We have all our bases covered for whatever they throw at us.”
“The fast bowlers did well in the World Cup where they had favourable conditions. It hasn’t happened overnight. It developed in the last two years. They have not played 20 Tests altogether, so they are young fast bowlers compared to the Pakistan attack. I am really excited to see how they continue,” he further added.
Chandika Hathurusingha also admitted that batting was a concern for the Bangladesh team but again added that at home, batting gets difficult on result-oriented pitches as well. He also hoped conditions in Pakistan would be helpful for his batters.
“Batting has been a concern for a while, but not for one reason. We play in result oriented wickets back home. Sometimes 250 is a winning score in those pitches. Obviously when you play on these pitches, the batters have a tough time. I hope the pitches in Pakistan generally favour batting. It is a good contest between bat and ball. We will show better result on these pitches,” he said.
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However, recently, Shakib Al Hasan suffered as a batter due to his eye problem but the coach insisted that he is much better after consulting with a physician as well. On the other hand, Hathurusingha also lauded how well Mushtaq Ahmed has fitted into the support staff group as the spin consultant as well.
“He (Shakib) is actually batting well. He has looked fitter. He has done some eye testing as well. He is saying that it helped him with the problem he had. I know Mushy. We met in 1988. That’s how old we are. He has fitted into the coaching group really well. He has a lot of experience working with England and Pakistan. He has a lot of local knowledge and experience from other parts of the world. Not just bowling, we take his advice in certain decisions,” Chandika Hathurusingha concluded.
