Bangladesh Cricket Board sacks assistant coach for no-show

Sri Lankan Kalpage had expressed concerns over his safety following an attack by extremists in a cafe last month

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: Bangladesh cricket authorities said on Friday that they have sacked the national team’s assistant coach Ruwan Kalpage after he failed to report for duty.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had asked Sri Lankan Kalpage to join the national team’s conditioning camp by August 16 ahead of a home series against England.

“We set a deadline for him to join, but he did not respond,” BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury told AFP.



“Therefore we decided to terminate his contract,” he added.

Kalpage had reportedly expressed concerns over his safety in Bangladesh following an attack by extremists on a Dhaka cafe last month that left 22 people, mostly foreigners, dead.

The country has been reeling from months of gruesome killings of religious minorities and secular activists, with many of the attacks claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.



Two other Sri Lankans -- head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and fitness trainer Mario Villavarayan -- as well as Zimbabwean fielding coach Richard Halsall have already joined the camp, after the BCB provided them with armed security guards.

Kalpage joined Bangladesh as assistant coach on a two-year contract in August 2014 and was earlier this year given an extension until the 2019 World Cup.