For quite some time now, Bangladesh’s national cricket team has been without a specialist batting coach, with assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin currently handling batting duties temporarily.
Bangladesh’s batting struggles have been evident match after match. Especially in ODIs, the poor performances have raised real concerns about whether the team can secure direct qualification for the 2027 World Cup. It’s not just the national side—most of the batters in the pipeline are also out of form. This worrying situation has prompted the BCB’s cricket operations department to consider appointing a specialist batting coach as soon as possible.
Bangladesh’s most recent ODI series against Afghanistan ended in a painful whitewash, exposing deep flaws in the batting unit. Even though they managed to beat West Indies in the opening game of the current series in Mirpur, the same old issues with the bat resurfaced once again.
The problems have persisted for a long time—Bangladesh have gone 45 consecutive matches without a hundred-run opening stand, and it’s been 37 matches since an opener last scored a century. Frequent changes at the top of the order have now become a pattern.
The team’s last specialist batting coach was David Hemp, who was later reassigned to the High-Performance Unit after failing to impress the board. Former assistant coach Nic Pothas briefly filled in the role afterward. Before them, Neil McKenzie was arguably the most successful batting coach Bangladesh had, followed by his compatriot Ashwell Prince. Prior to that, Sri Lanka’s Thilan Samaraweera served two long stints as batting coach.
Concerned by the current slump among the batters, the BCB is determined to bring in an experienced specialist who can work on players’ technique, mindset, and preparation.
According to a BCB source, efforts are underway to finalize a new batting coach before the upcoming Ireland series. The board president is expected to return to the country on Wednesday, after which the final decision will likely be made. Discussions have already taken place with several foreign candidates, with an Australian coach emerging as a strong contender.
The chairman of BCB’s cricket operations, Nazmul Abedin, has reportedly held talks about the new batting coach with chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu.
Chief selector Gazi Ashraf told bdnews24.com, “We feel the need to appoint a separate batting coach for the national team. Our batters are struggling, and no one is in form. There’s no consistency in batting. Senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin is looking after the batting now, but as a senior assistant, he also has other coaching responsibilities. That makes it difficult for him to give full attention solely to batting.”
“The BCB also recognizes the necessity of having a dedicated batting coach. However, I’m not directly involved in the appointment process. The cricket operations department is handling it, and they will make the final decision.”
