Former Bangladesh captain Mohammad Ashraful, in many people's eyes still the best batsman the country has produced, is set to serveas the national team’s batting coach for the upcoming home series against Ireland, while former spinner and current BCB director Abdur Razzak will serve as team director.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made the appointments at its board meeting on Monday night, confirmed by media committee chairman Amzad Hossain following the session.
The Ireland series, featuring two Tests and three T20 internationals, begins later this month.
Ashraful, once the youngest centurion in Test history, will take on his first coaching assignment with the senior national team.
He is currently head coach of Barishal Division in the ongoing National Cricket League and previously served as batting coach of Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League.
Razzak, who has been overseeing women’s cricket as a BCB director, will step into a broader leadership role for this series.
His appointment as team director marks a continuation of the board’s policy of involving former players more directly in team management.
The BCB clarified that the rest of the coaching staff will remain unchanged. Until now, Bangladesh had no specialist batting coach, with assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin informally handling batting duties.
Ireland are scheduled to play two Tests and three T20s during their Bangladesh tour. The first Test starts on November 11 in Sylhet, followed by the second in Mirpur on November 19. The T20Is will take place on November 27 and 29 in Chattogram, with the final match set for December 2 in Mirpur.