Sports Correspondent

Newly appointed Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Faruque Ahmed cleared the air regarding head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, stating that his stance on the veteran coach still hasn’t changed.

The former Bangladesh skipper on many TV talk shows and interviews said he would remove the Sri Lankan coach if he was to take the charge.

Asked whether he had the same stance on Hathurusingha, Faruque nodded positively, saying that he maintained same point of view. “I am not exactly aware about the contract with Chandika Hathurusingha. But I maintained same stance (about removing Hathurusingha) still,” Faruque told reporters at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.

“But I have to consider a few things officially. Whether we can find someone better than him or someone of equal calibre is something we will have to see. I still have the same stand (on Hathurusingha).”

Faruque and Hathurusingha are at loggerheads in 2014-2016, which was the first term of the coach and the second term of Faruque as chief selector. To appease Hathurusingha the then BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon formed a two-tier selection process that gave the head coach a license to interfere in selection matter. And Hathurusingha used his power to disturb Faruque. That was the reason that led Faruque to resign from the BCB.

Hathurusingha who is in his second term in Bangladesh as coach is in Pakistan with the team for two-match Test series. He however said in a press conference in Rawalpindi that he would accept whichever direction the board takes regarding his role as head coach.

As per the contract, Hathurusingha would get full salary of two years of his service if he is sacked.