The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed South African coach Malibongwe Maketa as assistant coach of the national team, signing him on a two year contract running from October 2026 to November 2028.

The timing of the appointment is significant, with Bangladesh set to compete in next year's World Cup, co hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, making Maketa's regional expertise a valuable addition to the coaching setup.

Maketa will join the squad immediately, linking up with the team currently in the United Arab Emirates for their ongoing Test fixture against Afghanistan, where he begins his new role under head coach Phil Simmons.

He replaces Mohammad Salahuddin in the assistant coaching position, with Salahuddin having served in that capacity for roughly eighteen months before his recent promotion to head coach of Bangladesh's High Performance Unit.

The 46 year old South African brings more than two decades of coaching experience to the role, despite a playing career that amounted to little beyond a single List A appearance back in 2007.

Maketa holds Cricket South Africa's highest Level 4 coaching qualification and has previously held a wide range of positions within the Proteas setup, including spells as the senior men's assistant coach between 2017 and 2019.

During that period, he contributed to several notable achievements, including home Test series victories over India and Australia, alongside further successful campaigns against both Sri Lanka and Pakistan during his tenure.

He also formed part of South Africa's coaching staff at the 2019 World Cup in England, where his responsibilities centred specifically on nurturing and developing the squad's emerging young talent throughout the tournament.

Beyond his time with the senior national side, Maketa has held head coaching roles with South Africa A, the Under-19 team, the National Cricket Academy and domestic franchise side the Warriors across his extensive career.

His work with younger players has been particularly notable, having guided South Africa's Under-19 side to the semi finals of the ICC Youth World Cup during his time in charge of that age group setup.

He further led the South Africa Emerging team to the CSA One Day Cup Division Two title during the 2023-24 season, underlining his reputation as a coach well suited to developing promising young cricketers.

Reflecting on his new appointment, Maketa expressed genuine enthusiasm about the opportunity, describing it as a role he intends to approach with real commitment alongside Bangladesh's existing coaching staff.

"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," he said.

He also spoke warmly about the calibre of talent already present within the Bangladesh squad, expressing confidence that collaborative work with Simmons and the wider coaching group could help accelerate the players' progress.

"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," he said.

Maketa closed his remarks by reiterating his appreciation for the opportunity, framing his arrival in Bangladesh as the beginning of a new and personally meaningful chapter in his coaching career.

"Thank you once again for the opportunity. I am excited to begin this journey and contribute to the Bangladesh national team," he said, bringing his introductory comments to a close.

Maketa most recently served as head coach of South Africa's Under-19 side and the National Academy before accepting this latest move into international coaching with Bangladesh ahead of next year's tournament.