Ashraful Removed as National Team Batting Coach, Salahuddin Takes Charge

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has relieved former captain Mohammad Ashraful of his duties as the batting coach of the Bangladesh national cricket team. In his place, Mohammad Salahuddin, head coach of the High Performance (HP) unit, has been temporarily assigned the responsibility of overseeing the team’s batters during the upcoming Test series.

According to his contract with the BCB, Ashraful was supposed to remain in the role until February 2027. However, he has been removed from the position before completing a year in the job, which he took up in late 2025. Although he was seen working on the players’ batting techniques at the Mirpur Academy Ground on Saturday morning, the BCB confirmed the decision through a media release in the evening. The decision to relieve Ashraful of his duties was communicated through the Cricket Operations Department. However, he may be assigned another role within the board for the remainder of his contract, according to reports.

Although the board has not disclosed any specific reason for the decision, cricket observers believe Bangladesh’s poor batting performance in the recent tri-nation ODI series in the United Arab Emirates was the main factor behind the move. During the tournament, Bangladesh failed to cross the 200-run mark in two of their matches.

Salahuddin will serve as the interim batting coach until a permanent replacement is appointed. His new assignment will begin with Bangladesh’s upcoming two-match Test series against the West Indies, scheduled to start on October 28. Meanwhile, the BCB is continuing discussions to bring in a new foreign coach for the position.