New South Wales reappoints Hathurusingha as batting coach
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|| Desk Report ||
Former Bangladesh and Sri Lanka Head head coach Chandika Hathurusingha has been appointed as senior assistant and batting coach of the New South Wales (NSW) state team.
Hathurusingha has previously served as an assistant coach and worked for NSW team from 2010-2014 before taking up the head coach role of Bangladesh cricket team.
Hathurusingha’s appointment is the first significant move by Greg Mail after he became the Blues’ head of cricket in May, rounding out a coaching staff that also features Phil Jaques as head coach alongside pace bowling coach Andre Adams and spin bowling coach Anthony Clark.
It’s not the first time that Cricket NSW has seen fit to rehire a former coach who departed temporarily for international duties. In 2013 the state brought back Trevor Bayliss as state coach after his successful stint as coach of Sri Lanka, only to see him exit once again in 2015 to take over as England coach ultimately guiding the side to the 2019 ODI World Cup.
Sri Lanka-born coach was a trusted lieutenant for Bayliss with both Sri Lanka and NSW, while he also played a key role in helping to rejuvenate the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League after its moribund start to the competition.
NSW had needed to find a new batting coach after the Englishman Michael Yardy returned home for family reasons halfway through a two-year deal he had signed in 2019, and Hathurusingha was back in Australia after a messy departure from his time as Sri Lanka coach, after the board stopped paying him in October 2019 but did not formally terminate his contract until early this year.
