South Africa’s Malibongwe Maketa appointed as Bangladesh senior men’s assistant coach

Dhaka, Oct 2 (IANS) The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday said it has appointed South Africa’s Malibongwe Maketa as the assistant coach of the national senior men’s team on a two-year contract running from October 2026 to November 2028.

Maketa, 46, replaces Mohammad Salahuddin, who was recently reassigned to head the BCB’s High Performance Unit and is currently with the Bangladesh team, which will take on Sri Lanka in the Asian Games men’s T20 bronze medal game at the Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, Japan, on Saturday.

Maketa, a Cricket South Africa (CSA) Level 4-qualified coach, will link up with the Bangladesh squad in the United Arab Emirates ahead of their upcoming assignment featuring a one-off Test against Afghanistan, followed by an ODI tri-series against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe.

“I am pleased to accept the position of assistant coach with the Bangladesh national team. 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,” Maketa said in an official statement.

Bringing over two decades of coaching experience across domestic, international, and high-performance cricket in South Africa, Maketa previously worked as the assistant coach of the Proteas men’s team from 2017 to 2019, which included the 2019 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup campaign in England.

During his previous stint with the South Africa men’s senior team, Maketa was part of the coaching setup that secured home Test series wins against Australia and India, alongside bilateral series victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

“We have a young and exciting team, and I am looking forward to working alongside Phil (Simmons) and the rest of the coaching staff to help bring out the best in the players and support their continued development. Thank you once again for the opportunity. I am excited to begin this journey and contribute to the Bangladesh National Team,” he added.

Maketa’s input will also be crucial in Bangladesh making a future all-format bilateral tour of South Africa starting mid-November, and is followed by the 2027 Men’s ODI World Cup.

In a lengthy coaching career in South Africa, Maketa has held key development positions, including head coach of South Africa A, South Africa U19, the National Academy, and the Warriors franchise.

In his most recent roles, he guided the South Africa Emerging side to the CSA One-Day Cup Division 2 title in the 2023/24 season and coached the South Africa U19 team to the semi-finals of the ICC U19 Men’s World Cup.

–IANS

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