Sri Lanka Cricket suspends Chandika Hathrusingha ahead of New Zealand series

Sports Minister Harin Fernando said this month that Hathurusingha would be given until the start of Sri Lanka’s home Test series against New Zealand, which begins on August 14, to quit and make way for a new coach, but the latter didn't come forward and showed his interest to continue till his contract runs out in 16 months.

Fernando was adamant that SLC should not give $40,000 monthly salary to Hathurusingha and suggested that Sri Lanka could have hired a foreign coach at half the price. Fernando said there were three international candidates hoping to replace Hathurusingha and they were asking for lower salaries of between $17,500 to $25,000 a month. 

In the wake of that, Sri Lankan cricket has suspended head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and appointed a temporary replacement for the upcoming New Zealand series and Cricket board chairman Shammi Silva said former Sri Lanka fast bowler Rumesh Ratnayake was made the interim coach.

"Hathurusingha will not be involved in this (New Zealand) series,” Silva told reporters in Colombo. We can’t tell you details because this might end up being a legal issue," he said, reported the Hindu.

Sri Lanka cricket was in crisis when Hathurusingha was appointed in December 2017, after a successful three-year spell in charge of Bangladesh. It had just been hammered in Tests by India home and away, and played poorly in one-day internationals. Under Hathurusingha, Sri Lanka notched up Test wins against England and Australia and even went on to win a historic ODI series against South Africa in their own backyard.