Malibongwe Maketa Appointed as Bangladesh Cricket Teams New Assistant Coach

Dhaka, October 2 (Daily Kiran) : The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially appointed South Africa’s Malibongwe Maketa as the new assistant coach for the national men’s cricket team. His contract will span two years, running from October 2026 to November 2028.

Maketa, 46, will take over the role previously held by Mohammad Salahuddin, who has recently been appointed as the head of BCB’s high-performance unit. Currently, Salahuddin is still associated with the national team. The Bangladesh team is presently in Japan, preparing to face Sri Lanka in the men’s T20 bronze medal match at the Asian Games, scheduled to take place at the Nishin Kōrōgi Sports Park.

Maketa, a Level 4 qualified coach with Cricket South Africa (CSA), will join the Bangladesh team in the United Arab Emirates. The team’s upcoming assignments include a test match against Afghanistan, followed by a One Day International tri-series involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

In an official statement, Maketa expressed his enthusiasm for the new role, saying, “I am delighted to accept the position of assistant coach for the Bangladesh national team. I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence shown in me by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and I look forward to contributing positively to the team’s success.”

With over two decades of coaching experience in domestic, international, and high-performance cricket, Maketa previously served as the assistant coach for the Proteas men’s team from 2017 to 2019. During this time, he was part of the squad for the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2019 held in England.

During his tenure with the South African senior men’s team, Maketa was involved in a coaching setup that led to victories in home test series against Australia and India, as well as bilateral series wins against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. He stated, “Our team is young and talented. I am excited to work alongside Phil (Simmons) and the rest of the coaching staff to help players perform at their best and support their continuous development. Thank you once again for this opportunity. I am eager to start this journey and contribute to the Bangladesh national team.”