Malibongwe Maketa named Bangladesh men's assistant coach

Malibongwe Maketa has been appointed Bangladesh men's assistant coach for the next two years, replacing Mohammad Salahuddin. Maketa will join the team in the UAE where they will play the one-off Test against Afghanistan and the ODI tri-series from October 9.

Salahuddin is now heading the BCB's High Performance unit, although he is currently in charge of the team at the Asian Games, where Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka for the bronze-medal match on Saturday.

Maketa is a Level-4 certified coach who has more than two decades of coaching experience. He has had various roles within Cricket South Africa, including a short period as the senior team's head coach during their 2022 tour of Australia. He was South Africa's assistant coach from 2017 to 2019, including the World Cup that year. He was also part of South Africa's Test series wins against Australia and India.

Cricinfo has learned that Maketa has been hired with BCB's focus on the two South Africa tours in the next 12 months - a full tour of Tests, ODIs and T20Is from mid-November and the 2027 ODI World Cup.

"I am pleased to accept the position of assistant coach with the Bangladesh national team," Maketa said. "I am truly grateful for the trust and confidence placed in me by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and I look forward to contributing positively to the team's success. We have a young and exciting team, and I am looking forward to working alongside Phil [Simmons, head coach] and the rest of the coaching staff to help bring out the best in the players and support their continued development."

Maketa has also worked with the South Africa A and Under-19 teams, apart from their national academy. He has also coached across formats at the domestic level. Most recently, he served as the head coach of the South Africa Under-19 team.

The one-off Test against Afghanistan starts from October 9, followed by the ODI tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, starting October 17.