Hathurusingha rejects supposed tension with senior players

Newly appointed Bangladesh men's cricket team head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has put speculation to bed regarding tensions between him and the senior players -- an issue which allegedly played a big role in his departure from the helm in 2017.

The 54-year-old rubbished notions that it would be a challenge for him to manage the senior players and asserted that there was no rift between him and the players in his first stint as Bangladesh coach. He assured that he had discussions with the veterans and came away with the goal of putting the team first above everything else. 

"I don't think it is going to be a challenge. I have spoken to all the senior players. Everybody is focused on one thing: the team is No 1. Everyone wants the team to do well. Even in my last time, I didn't face challenges with any of the players," Hathurusingha told reporters in the press conference on Wednesday.

"There's no tension between me and any of the players. I actually enjoy [rivalry]," he reiterated.  

Though he did admit that, in his first tenure, he encouraged the idea of having rivalries between players for an attitude buff.

"It is one thing that I drilled into the players when I was coaching Bangladesh: to stand up to any opposition and play with a lot of passion. I was really proud inside the other dressing room [seeing] how they played the Nidahas Trophy and the Asia Cup after that.

"They have been performing these roles for 10-15 years. They will play the role as long as they are playing, as long as they are selected. Their roles haven't changed much. They are world-class players. They have been successful in their roles," he said.

The Sri Lankan took charge of the Tigers in 2014 in his first stint following the departure of Shane Jurgensen, and within eight months of his appointment managed to work his magic on the players taking Bangladesh to the quarterfinals of the 2015 ICC World Cup—the country's best-ever finish in the marquee event.

Widely regarded as the best to have coached Bangladesh, his first tenure featured home series wins against India, Pakistan, and South Africa in ODIs and memorable Test wins against England and Australia. Despite the magnitude of the success, the relationship between him and the senior players -- primarily 'the fantastic five' featuring Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, and Mashrafe Mortaza -- supposedly soured. 

He had apparently lost the dressing room and was at crossroads while considering the futures of a number of the aforementioned five in particular formats. No longer could his shrewd presence in the dressing room work as a tonic for the players as results took a turn for the worse.

Bangladesh's most successful captain Mashrafe was forced out of the T20I squad and Hathurusingha did not want to include Mushfiqur in the T20 scheme of things. And when it came to the longest format, former skipper Mominul Haque and all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad were seen as dispensable by the Sri Lankan.

While it was heavily argued that the relationship between Hathurusingha and the players was at the forefront of his departure, recent events where senior players like Shakib and Mashrafe have backed the decision to bring the Sri Lankan coach back have contradicted those rumours.