The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed South Africa’s Malibongwe Maketa as the assistant coach of the Bangladesh senior men’s national cricket team on a two-year contract.The 46-year-old coach will serve from October 2026 until November 2028. He is expected to join the Bangladesh coaching setup in the United Arab Emirates ahead of the team’s upcoming assignments against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.Key HighlightsMalibongwe Maketa appointed Bangladesh men’s assistant coachContract runs from October 2026 to November 2028He replaces Mohammad Salahuddin in the roleMaketa has more than two decades of coaching experienceHe previously worked with South Africa’s senior, A and U19 teamsHe was part of South Africa’s coaching staff at the 2019 ODI World CupMaketa Joins Bangladesh Coaching StaffMaketa replaces Mohammad Salahuddin, who was recently appointed head coach of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s High Performance programme. Maketa will work alongside Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons and the rest of the national coaching staff.His first assignment is expected to come in the UAE, where Bangladesh are scheduled to play a one-off Test against Afghanistan followed by an ODI tri-series involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.Malibongwe Maketa’s Coaching ExperienceMaketa is a Cricket South Africa Level 4-qualified coach and has more than 20 years of experience across domestic, international and high-performance cricket.He previously served as assistant coach of the South Africa men’s national team from 2017 to 2019 and was part of the Proteas coaching staff during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England. He was also involved in South Africa’s Test series victories over Australia and India during that period.Maketa has also worked as head coach of South Africa A, South Africa U19 and the National Academy, besides coaching the Warriors franchise. His experience has included player development and preparing emerging cricketers for international-level demands.Maketa Excited to Work With BangladeshFollowing his appointment, Maketa thanked the Bangladesh Cricket Board for its confidence and said he was looking forward to contributing to the national team.He also highlighted Bangladesh’s young squad and said he was eager to work with Phil Simmons and the coaching staff to help players develop and perform at their best.Focus on Future International AssignmentsMaketa’s appointment comes ahead of a busy period for Bangladesh cricket. The team is preparing for upcoming international fixtures in the UAE and is also scheduled to tour South Africa later this year.His experience in South African cricket could also be relevant ahead of Bangladesh’s future assignments in the region and the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.The BCB will now have Maketa working alongside its existing coaching setup as Bangladesh prepare for their next international commitments.
