Nic Pothas to serve as head coach for first two New Zealand ODIs
Before the World Cup, Hathurusingha will spend some time with his family. His wife will have major surgery, and it is important that he be there.
Khan Mutasim Billah LifeEditor
Posted - 2023-09-19T20:44:51+06:00
Updated - 2023-09-19T20:44:51+06:00
Before heading to the World Cup, Bangladesh and New Zealand will play three One-Day Internationals beginning on September 21. In the series, several of the cricketers received some rest, including skipper Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim. Even head coach Chandika Hathurusingha had some rest this time around. Assistant coach Nic Pothas will be acting as head coach in his absence.
Before the World Cup, Hathurusingha will spend some time with his family. His wife will have major surgery, and it is important that he be there. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also considered the matter of giving him leave before the World Cup.
But Hathurusingha will return before the third ODI of the New Zealand series (September 26). And then the team will be announced for the World Cup. BCB cricket operations committee chairman Jalal Yunus told the media on Tuesday (September 19), “Hathurusingha will not be in the first two ODIs. His wife has a major surgery. He will arrive on the 25th (September) and join the team on the 26th. At this time, we have given responsibility to Nic Pothas as the interim head coach.”
While most of the teams have announced their World Cup squads, Bangladesh's World Cup squad is yet to be announced. Jalal Yunus added that the team will be given before the end of the New Zealand series, “We hope to give the team by 25th. But you must know by the 26th.”
The Bangladesh-New Zealand ODI series will start on September 21. The remaining two matches of the series are on September 23 and 26. All three matches will be held in Mirpur. In the absence of Shakib, Litton Das will lead Bangladesh in this series.