Hathurusingha appointed as Bangladesh coach for second spell

Ending months of speculation, Chandika Hathurusingha has been appointed as the Bangladesh cricket team head coach, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed through a press release on Tuesday. 

Hathurusingha reached a two-year deal with the BCB, starting from February 2023. This is set to be the Sri Lankan's second stint as the Bangladesh national team coach, having previously served from 2014 to 2017. 

"It's an honour to have been given this opportunity to coach the Bangladesh national team once again. I really loved the warmth of the people and the culture of Bangladesh whenever I have been there. I'm looking forward to working with the players once again and enjoy their successes," Hathurusingha was quoted as saying in the BCB press release. 

During Hathurusingha's first tenure, Bangladesh enjoyed an impressive run with maiden ODI series wins over Pakistan, South Africa, and India. Bangladesh also qualified for the quarterfinals in the 2015 ODI World Cup -- the Tigers' best-ever showing in the event -- and registered Test wins over England, Australia, and Sri Lanka during that period. 

The BCB head coach position has been vacant since Russell Domingo resigned from the post in December last year. BCB had a contract with the South African coach till the 2023 ODI World Cup, which is set to be played in October-November in India.