Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has accused former national captain Tamim Iqbal and the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) former Chairman of Cricket Operations, Jalal Yunus, of leaking details of a dressing-room altercation in an alleged attempt to oust head coach Chandika Hathurusingha.
The revelation came during a closed-door interview with a BCB-appointed special committee, formed to investigate Bangladesh’s disappointing performance at the 2023 ICC World Cup in India.
According to the committee’s report, Shakib claimed Tamim and Yunus deliberately manipulated the controversy surrounding an incident in which Hathurusingha allegedly slapped spinner Nasum Ahmed during Bangladesh’s match against New Zealand in Chennai. The pair are said to have contacted Nasum directly and leaked the allegation to the media in an effort to “build a case” for the coach’s dismissal.
“Chairman Cricket Operations (Jalal Yunus) and Tamim Iqbal had called Nasum about the ‘slapping’ allegation and had leaked it to the media to build a case against the head coach so that he could be sacked,” the committee’s findings stated.
Fielding coach Shane McDermott and strength and conditioning coach Nicholas Lee were reportedly aware of the altercation. While Nasum admitted he felt humiliated by the incident, he is said to have expressed greater concern about the breach of confidentiality than the alleged slap itself.
The committee described the team environment during the World Cup as “divided and toxic”, and has called for an urgent overhaul in trust and communication between players and management.
Bangladesh endured a dismal World Cup campaign, finishing eighth out of ten teams with only two wins from nine matches. The poor showing has led to intense scrutiny and calls for reform within the BCB.
