Hathurusinghe resigned because of Shakib
Nazmul Hasan Papon is man who speaks his mind, there is no
two ways about it. The BCB president is always very candid and doesn’t believe
in keeping anything secret as he now admits that newly-appointed Sri Lanka
coach was left baffled when Shakib al-Hasan was allowed to take a sabbatical
from the South Africa Test.
Indeed, it was one of the defining factor in Hathurusingha
leaving his post as the coach of the Bangladesh cricket team – and Papon,
speaking to the press after meeting with Hathurusingha, spilled all the beans.
"He was particularly frustrated with the board allowing
Shakib Al Hasan to rest during the Test series against South Africa,"
Nazmul told reporter. "There were several other issues, apart from what
transpired in South Africa, which added up to the coach's decision to quit.
"He is very disappointed with the South Africa tour.
The type of cricket, the mentality, everything. He said he couldn't believe the
cricket Bangladesh played during the tour. He had problem with the cricketers'
mentality. For example, he didn't agree with the fact that Shakib didn't go to
play the Test series.
"Why won't he play such an important series for the
team," said Nazmul while quoting the former coach.
The Sri Lankan was particularly displeased with the way the
players responded in the South Africa. The powerless attitude that they
displayed during the tour wasn’t something that demotivated him to the point
where he could no longer work with them.
"There were several other issues which we didn't
address at the time. There was a communication gap. So putting it all together,
he felt that he didn't have much more to give to this team. He gave what he
could, [but felt now] that he should leave this team. He felt that Bangladesh
won't be going forward the way it was moving," Nazmul said.
The coach issue with Bangladesh seems to be causing more waves than expected. With Hathurusingha’s revelations, it would be interesting to see how Shakib al-Hasan and the rest of them react.
Picture Courtesy : Getty Images
