Phil Simmons has been appointed as the interim coach for the Bangladesh cricket team until the 2025 Champions Trophy.
following the suspension of head coach Chandika Hathurusingha on disciplinary grounds. According to sources, Simmons will take over the role until the tournament, set for February 2025.
Hathurusingha, a former Sri Lankan player, has been suspended for 48 hours, with his termination expected shortly. He had returned to the Bangladesh cricket team in February 2023 for his second stint as head coach. However, his reappointment faced opposition from key figures, including former captains and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed.
Despite some notable achievements under Hathurusingha, such as Bangladesh’s 2-0 Test series victory against Pakistan—their first overseas Test series win in 15 years—the team’s recent performances have been underwhelming. Their campaigns in both the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the Caribbean and the USA, were disappointing.
The team’s struggles were further highlighted during their recent tour of India, where they suffered defeats in both the Test series (2-0) and the T20I series (3-0). This string of poor results ultimately led to Hathurusingha’s suspension and Simmons stepping in as interim coach.
