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The Bangladesh Cricket Board has removed Mohammad Ashraful from his position as the national team's batting coach, with the decision taking effect ahead of the two-match Test series against West Indies. The opening Test is set to begin on October 28 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
Ashraful was informed of the decision by BCB's cricket operations department. On Saturday, October 24, he exited the national players' WhatsApp group with a brief farewell message reading 'Thank You'. Later, he confirmed the development directly, saying he was no longer part of the national set-up.
“Yes, I am not working with the national team. I am waiting for my next assignment,” said Ashraful, who had a training session with the national cricketers ahead of the series at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Saturday as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Why was Ashraful removed as batting coach?
During Ashraful's tenure as batting coach, which began in November 2025, Bangladesh contested eight Tests, winning five, drawing one and losing two. The decision to remove him came after a run of dismal batting displays in the Asian Games in Japan and the Tri-nation series in Abu Dhabi, which are understood to have weighed heavily on the board's thinking.
Recent form was fairly uneven across formats, which may have eventually prompted the board to act. Between November 2025 and October 2026, Bangladesh scored 11 centuries across 34 internationals, a figure that will be seen as a significant accomplishment even as the board moved on from Ashraful.
Results were mixed elsewhere too. In August, Bangladesh drew the Test series against Australia 1-1, winning in Darwin before being bowled out for 64 and beaten inside two days in Mackay. Ashraful's tenure also featured a 2-0 Test series victory over Pakistan in May, with Mushfiqur Rahim named player of the series after scoring 253 runs, including his national-record 14th Test hundred. Bangladesh had earlier swept Ireland 2-0 in Tests during the same period.
What next for Bangladesh's batting set-up?
With Salahuddin confirmed as interim batting coach for the West Indies series, the BCB is simultaneously exploring a permanent appointment, with discussions reportedly under way with foreign candidates. No name has been officially confirmed for the full-time role.
Bangladesh's batting unit faces an immediate examination when the series opens on October 28. As specific honourable mentions from Ashraful's time in charge, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan 2-1 in an ODI series in March and claimed their first men's ODI series win against Australia in June, taking it 2-1. Australia did, however, win the T20I series 3-0 in June, underlining the inconsistency that ran through the period.
