Sports Desk:

Mohammad Ashraful is set to join the Bangladesh national cricket team as batting coach for the upcoming home series against Ireland, while Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director and former national team spinner Abdur Razzak will take over as team director, the board announced following a lengthy meeting.

“Ashraful has the experience — that’s a given. He has already completed the coaching courses, and mainly his experience was the key for us in this role,” said Abdur Razzak at a press conference held at the Mirpur Sher-e Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

He clarified the role of senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who has been overseeing the batting department since his return to the national setup.

“Salahuddin bhai is the senior assistant coach. There wasn’t any discussion about anyone failing to do their job or anything like that. And no one has been sacked from their post,” Razzak explained.

Regarding his own position, Razzak said, “My role will be like any other team director’s role. I will observe, keep an eye on things, and if anyone needs any help, I’ll provide it. If they need anything, I’ll try to help.”

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.

In a related move to support women’s cricket, the BCB has increased the daily allowance of female cricketers from USD 50 to USD 75 and raised their monthly salaries by 35 percent.