BCB appoints South African Maketa as national team assistant coach

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday appointed South African Malibongwe Maketa as the assistant coach of the men’s national team for a two-year term.

Maketa’s tenure will run from October 2026 to November 2028, and he will join the national coaching set-up in the UAE for the upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan and the tri-nation ODI series involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe this month.

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Maketa replaces former senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who was recently appointed head coach of the BCB’s High Performance programme.

“The 46-year-old South African brings comprehensive experience across domestic, international and high-performance cricket in South Africa,” the BCB said in a press release.

Maketa's appointment came a day after the International Cricket Council announced the World Cup 2027 fixtures, which will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia next year. Bangladesh will also tour South Africa in November this year for a full-fledged series and Maketa's experience will help the Tigers on African soil.

A Cricket South Africa Level 4-qualified coach, Maketa has more than two decades of coaching experience. His previous roles include 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.

Maketa served as an assistant coach of the South African national team from 2017 to 2019 and was part of the Proteas’ coaching staff at the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup in England. During that period, he was also involved in South Africa’s successful Test series against Australia and India, as well as bilateral series victories over Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

The 46-year-old also has extensive experience in player development, having worked with South Africa A and South Africa U19, while his stint at the National Academy focused on preparing players for the demands of international cricket. He has also coached across all three formats at franchise and provincial level.

Maketa most recently served as head coach of the South Africa U19 team and the National Academy, in addition to previous assignments with South Africa A. He guided South Africa Emerging to the CSA One-Day Cup Division 2 title in the 2023-24 season and previously led South Africa U19 to the semi-finals of the ICC U19 World Cup.

Commenting on his appointment, Maketa said: “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.

“We have a young and exciting team, and I am looking forward to working alongside Phil 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.”