Bangladesh Removes Ashraful as Batting Coach, Salahuddin Takes Over Before West Indies Tests

Coaching Change Comes Four Days Before Mirpur Test

Bangladesh has removed Mohammad Ashraful as its men's national batting coach four days before the opening Test against West Indies, turning to High Performance head coach Mohammad Salahuddin to oversee a batting unit whose recent innings have included totals of 64, 95 and 160.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board announced the change on Saturday, October 24, 2026. Salahuddin will take charge on an interim basis, beginning with the two Tests against West Indies. The first starts on Wednesday, October 28, at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur.

Ashraful, a former Bangladesh captain who began working with the national side in November 2025, will receive another assignment within the board. The BCB thanked him for his contribution and efforts but did not identify his new position or give a detailed reason for removing him from the national team.

The decision follows a mixed period: Bangladesh won five of eight Tests during his tenure and secured important ODI series victories, yet repeated batting collapses brought growing criticism. Salahuddin now inherits the immediate task of preparing the batters for West Indies while the board considers a permanent appointment.

A Training Session, Then Notice of Removal

Ashraful was still working with national players at an optional practice session at the National Cricket Academy ground in Mirpur on Saturday morning. By that afternoon, Shahriar Nafees, the BCB official in charge of cricket operations, had informed him of the decision.

Ashraful, confirming that his work with the national team had ended, said:

Yes, I am not working with the national team.

He also described his immediate position:

I am waiting for my next assignment.

BCB media committee chairman Asif Rabbani confirmed that Ashraful would no longer be part of the national team setup. The board formally announced the change in a release on Saturday night.

What Happens to His Contract?

Nafees said Ashraful's BCB contract runs until February 2027; the initial account of the change described an extension through the 2027 ODI World Cup, scheduled for October and November. February is the expiry date attributed directly to the board's cricket operations official.

Ashraful's involvement began with an appointment as a part time batting coach for the home series against Ireland in November 2025. He subsequently received the batting coach position in March 2026 after the board decided to retain him.

The board's announcement keeps him within the BCB rather than ending his employment outright. His departure from the national team therefore changes his duties immediately, while the remaining contract period concerns his continued work for the board.

Salahuddin Returns to a Familiar Job

Salahuddin takes over from his position as head coach of the BCB's High Performance unit. He previously served as an assistant coach with the national team and supervised its batting before Ashraful replaced him.

His appointment restores a coach already familiar with the national batting role. He will work with players including Litton Das and Mushfiqur Rahim during the West Indies series and remain in charge until the board appoints a permanent replacement.

The High Performance unit prepares players for the demands of higher levels of cricket. Moving its head coach into the national side gives Bangladesh an existing member of its coaching structure to manage the immediate transition, with only a few days between the announcement and the first Test.

The board is considering coaches from abroad for the permanent position. Discussions with potential candidates have been described by a BCB official, while a decision on an appointment is expected after the West Indies series. No appointment date has been announced.

The Batting Scores Behind the Pressure

Bangladesh's recent results show why the batting department faced scrutiny. In Australia, the team made 426 in the first innings of the opening Test and won in Darwin. In the second Test at Mackay, Bangladesh was dismissed for 64 and 95, losing inside two days.

Those two completed innings produced just 159 runs combined, compared with 426 in a single innings in the previous Test. The contrast captures the sharp changes in output that Salahuddin will need to address.

Bangladesh also struggled in the ODI tri-series in the United Arab Emirates. Chasing a target of 271 against Zimbabwe, the team finished on 172, leaving it 99 runs short of the target. Against Afghanistan, Bangladesh was bowled out for 160. The tournament ended with defeat to Afghanistan in the final.

A target is the total a team must reach to win when batting second. Being bowled out means the side has lost all 10 available wickets. In practical terms, Bangladesh's batters repeatedly ran out of wickets before producing enough runs to keep their team competitive.

Criticism had also followed disappointing batting during the Zimbabwe tour, where Bangladesh lost the lone Test and the ODI series, and at the Asian Games in Japan. Recent batting failures were identified as the main pressure behind Ashraful's removal, although the board's announcement did not set out that explanation.

A Tenure That Also Produced Major Wins

Bangladesh's results under Ashraful included substantial successes. The team won five of its eight Tests, drew one and lost two, giving it a Test winning share of 62.5 percent during his tenure.

Bangladesh swept Ireland 2-0 and defeated Pakistan by the same margin in May. Mushfiqur Rahim was player of the series against Pakistan, scoring 253 runs, including his 14th Test century, a national record.

A century is an individual score of at least 100 runs in an innings. Bangladesh's players recorded 11 centuries across 34 internationals between November 2025 and October 2026, showing that the batting unit produced major individual contributions alongside its collapses.

In ODI cricket, Bangladesh beat Pakistan 2-1 in March and Australia 2-1 in June. The Australia result was Bangladesh's first men's ODI series victory against that opponent. Bangladesh also recorded a home ODI series win over New Zealand during Ashraful's tenure.

The Test series in Australia finished 1-1 in August, with the Darwin victory followed by the heavy defeat in Mackay. Bangladesh also rose to fourth in the current World Test Championship standings. That competition ranks participating national sides through their Test results across a cycle.

Success was less consistent in the shortest international format. Australia won the T20I series 3-0 in June. Taken together, the results leave Salahuddin with a batting group that has recently helped beat major opponents but has also suffered several severe collapses.

How the Change Unfolded

Ashraful's move from a temporary assignment to a longer appointment, followed by his removal before another home series, developed over less than a year.

• November 2025: Ashraful began working as batting coach for the home series against Ireland, initially on a part time basis.
• March 2026: He received the batting coach appointment after the BCB decided to keep him with the national team.
• May and June 2026: Bangladesh completed a Test series sweep of Pakistan and secured its first men's ODI series victory over Australia.
• August 2026: Bangladesh drew the Test series in Australia 1-1, winning in Darwin before losing heavily in Mackay.
• October 24, 2026: The BCB informed Ashraful of his removal and announced Salahuddin as interim batting coach.
• October 28, 2026: Bangladesh is scheduled to begin the first of two Tests against West Indies in Mirpur.

The short gap between the final two dates puts the coaching handover inside the team's preparations for its next international match.

Ashraful's Playing Legacy and Coaching Turn

Ashraful entered coaching with one of the most recognisable playing records in Bangladesh cricket. He appeared in 177 ODIs, scoring 3,468 runs, as well as 61 Tests and 23 T20Is.

He became the youngest player to score a Test century. At 20, he also scored the century central to Bangladesh's celebrated victory over Australia in 2005, one of the country's landmark international results.

His career later included a lengthy ban from BCB related cricket activities in 2013 for match fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He returned to cricket three years later and eventually moved into coaching.

The latest decision gives his coaching career another change of direction. His national team duties have ended, while the BCB has committed to assigning him work elsewhere in its structure.

What Changes for the West Indies Series?

Salahuddin becomes the person responsible for the national side's batting preparation during the two Tests. His immediate challenge is to help Bangladesh produce more dependable innings after a sequence ranging from 426 in Darwin to consecutive dismissals for 64 and 95 in Mackay.

The format matters to that task. Test matches can last up to five days and usually allow each team two innings. Batters need to balance scoring with preserving their wickets, often through long spells against the same bowling attack. Bangladesh's recent Test victories give Salahuddin successful performances to build on, while the collapses show where that preparation has failed to carry into matches.

For the BCB, the next personnel decision is the permanent batting appointment after the West Indies series. For Ashraful, it is the board assignment he is waiting to receive. The immediate sporting test comes first, when Bangladesh takes the field in Mirpur on October 28.

Key Points

• The BCB removed Mohammad Ashraful as national batting coach on October 24, four days before the first West Indies Test.
• High Performance head coach Mohammad Salahuddin takes over on an interim basis until a permanent appointment.
• Ashraful will move to another BCB role. Cricket operations official Shahriar Nafees said his contract runs until February 2027.
• Bangladesh won five of eight Tests during Ashraful's tenure, but recent batting collapses brought mounting criticism.
• The two Tests against West Indies begin in Mirpur on October 28.