The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Friday appointed South African Malibongwe Maketa as assistant coach of the national men’s team. Maketa replaces Mohammad Salahuddin, who was recently appointed head of the BCB’s High Performance Unit, and has been handed a contract running from October 2026 to November 2028.
The 46-year-old Maketa will join the Bangladesh coaching setup in the UAE ahead of the one-off Test against Afghanistan, followed by an ODI tri-series involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. A Cricket South Africa (CSA) Level 4-qualified coach, Maketa brings more than two decades of experience across domestic, international and high-performance cricket in South Africa.
“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,” said Maketa in a statement.
“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.”
Maketa has previously served as the assistant coach of the South Africa men’s national team, head coach of South Africa A and South Africa U19, head coach of the National Academy and head coach of the Warriors franchise.
He served as assistant coach of the South African national team from 2017 to 2019, including at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England. During that period, he was also part of the coaching staff for Test series wins against Australia and India, as well as bilateral series victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Maketa has also worked extensively with emerging players, having led South Africa A and South Africa U19, while his stint at the National Academy focused on preparing players for international cricket. He has coached across all formats at franchise and provincial level.
Most recently, Maketa served as head coach of South Africa U19 and the National Academy, alongside previous assignments with South Africa A. He led South Africa Emerging to the CSA One-Day Cup Division 2 title in 2023-24 and guided South Africa to the semi-finals of the ICC U19 World Cup.
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