Bangladesh Just Swapped Batting Coaches Before the West Indies Tests

Dr. Annelies De Vos · 2026-10-25

The Bangladesh Cricket Board made a move this week that few saw coming. Mohammad Salahuddin, who runs the High Performance Unit, is now the interim batting coach of the men's national team. He steps in for Mohammad Ashraful, who's been reassigned just ahead of a two-Test series against West Indies. It's a quick turnaround, and it raises a fair question: why shake up the batting setup right before a home series? ### Why Ashraful Was Moved Out of the Role The BCB kept its announcement short. Ashraful will take on a new position within the board, though nobody's saying what that position actually is yet. Salahuddin holds the batting coach job until a permanent successor is named. Ashraful only took over in November 2025. Before him, Salahuddin had already handled the batting unit as assistant coach, so this isn't unfamiliar ground for him. He knows these players, and he knows the drills. Reports say BCB cricket operations broke the news to Ashraful directly. He left the national players' WhatsApp group on Saturday with a thank-you message, which tells you plenty about how these things usually go. He confirmed he's no longer with the national team and is waiting on his next assignment. Earlier that same day, he'd been at a training session at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. The board is reportedly talking to foreign batting coaches for the permanent gig. ### Bangladesh's Record Under Ashraful Here's the part that makes the change interesting. The results weren't bad at all. - Five wins, one draw, and two losses across eight Tests - A 2-0 sweep of Ireland in Tests - A 2-0 Test series win over Pakistan in May, where Mushfiqur Rahim piled up 253 runs and a national-record 14th Test hundred - A 2-1 ODI series win over Pakistan in March - A 2-1 ODI series win over Australia in June, their first ever against that opponent - A 1-1 drawn Test series with Australia in August All told, Bangladesh scored 11 centuries across 34 internationals between November 2025 and October 2026. That's real production. But the batting group wobbled in recent tournaments. Poor showings at the Asian Games in Japan and the tri-nation series in Abu Dhabi didn't help. Bangladesh also dropped the final of the UAE ODI tri-series to Afghanistan. Those stumbles, more than the trophies, likely pushed the board toward a change. ### Ashraful's Playing Career, Briefly Ashraful played 61 Tests, 177 ODIs, and 23 T20Is for Bangladesh, scoring 3,468 ODI runs, the fifth-highest in the country's history. He was the youngest player ever to score a Test hundred. At just 20, he captained Bangladesh to a famous win over Australia in 2005. His story has a complicated chapter too. The BCB banned him from all board-related cricket in 2013 over match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League. He returned three years later and eventually moved into coaching, staying active in domestic cricket until about two years ago. ### What's Next for Salahuddin and Bangladesh Salahuddin's first real test comes fast. The opening Test against West Indies starts October 28 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur. He'll have to manage without fast bowler Nahid Rana, who's out for the series with a labrum tear. That's another headache for a home side that already has selection questions to answer. The BCB hasn't set a date for naming a permanent batting coach. For now, Salahuddin gets a trial run, and the batters get a familiar voice in the room. Sometimes a coaching change is about results. Sometimes it's about fit. This one looks like a bit of both.