Bangladesh's head coach, Chandika Hathurusinghe, will be absent for the crucial second Test against Sri Lanka, scheduled to start on March 30, due to personal reasons. A BCB press release stated this on Wednesday without providing the details what prompted him to leave the team in the midst of an important series.
He'll be traveling to Australia, with his return date uncertain. Assistant coach Nic Pothas will step up and lead the team during the second Test match.
Hathurusinghe is currently in his second stint as Bangladesh's head coach, having previously held the position from 2014 to 2017. Assistant coach Pothas, a seasoned coach with experience as interim coach for both West Indies and Sri Lanka, will take the reins in Hathurusinghe's absence.
The Test squad sees some changes. The experienced Shakib-al-Hasan, recovered from an eye injury, returns to the team after a near year-long absence from Test cricket. Uncapped batsman Towhid Hridoy makes way for Shakib's return. Additionally, uncapped fast bowler Hasan Mahmud joins the squad to replace Musfik Hasan, who is sidelined with a left ankle injury requiring rehab.
This coaching change and squad adjustments come after Bangladesh's heavy 328-run defeat in the first Test. This follows a mixed series where they won the ODI series 2-1 but lost the T20I series by the same margin to Sri Lanka.