Malibongwe Maketa has been appointed as the new assistant coach for the Bangladesh men’s cricket team. He steps into the role for a two-year stint, succeeding Mohammad Salahuddin. Maketa’s immediate task will be to join the team in the UAE, participating in a test against Afghanistan and an upcoming ODI tri-series.
Salahuddin has taken charge of the BCB’s High Performance unit. Meanwhile, he’s temporarily leading the team in the Asian Games, where they are aiming for a bronze against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
With over 20 years of experience, Maketa brings a wealth of knowledge to Bangladesh. He’s a Level-4 certified coach with a distinguished career within Cricket South Africa. Notably, he briefly helmed the South African team during their 2022 tour of Australia and served as assistant coach from 2017 to 2019, involving the 2019 World Cup and victories over Australia and India in Test series.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) hired Maketa with an eye on their forthcoming tours to South Africa over the next year. This includes a comprehensive tour featuring Tests, ODIs, and T20Is starting mid-November, along with the 2027 ODI World Cup preparations.
“I am pleased to accept the position of assistant coach with the Bangladesh national team,” stated Maketa. “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’s vast experience extends to South Africa’s A and Under-19 teams and includes domestic coaching across all formats. He recently served as the head coach of the South Africa Under-19 team.
The cricket calendar marks the one-off Test against Afghanistan beginning on 9th October, followed by the ODI tri-series with Afghanistan and Zimbabwe starting on 17th October.
