BCB appointed Phil Simmons as interim head coach

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has sent a show-cause notice and a suspension letter to Chandika Hathurusingha, marking the end of his tenure as head coach. In his place, West Indies legend Phil Simmons will take over as the head coach until the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025. Simmons will begin his assignment with the upcoming series against South Africa.

Hathurusingha will not be part of the team for the home series, and BCB president Faruk Ahmed announced his dismissal in a press conference. The decision comes just one week before the two-Test series against South Africa.

Phil Simmons, aged 61, will arrive in Bangladesh before the South Africa series and will work closely with players like Shanto and Litton.

Prior to this, Simmons served as the head coach of Papua New Guinea during the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. He also held the role of head coach for the West Indies team in 2021 and was the coach of Zimbabwe from 2004 to 2005. Additionally, he has worked with teams like Ireland and Afghanistan.

Simmons played 160 matches for the West Indies and transitioned into coaching after his playing career. Under his guidance, the West Indies team won the T20 World Cup in 2016, and he was also the head coach during the 2021 T20 World Cup.