Ashraful remains one of the most recognizable names in Bangladesh cricket. At just 20 years old, he famously led Bangladesh to a historic victory over Australia in 2005 — a match that still stands as one of the nation’s proudest moments. Over his international career, Ashraful played 61 Tests, 177 ODIs, and 23 T20Is, scoring more than 3,400 ODI runs, the fifth-highest total for Bangladesh. He was also the youngest player in Test history to score a century and continued playing domestic cricket until recently.
Salahuddin, meanwhile, submitted his resignation earlier this week and will leave his post after the Ireland tour in December, which features two Tests and three T20Is. Having joined in November 2024 to assist head coach Phil Simmons, Salahuddin was primarily in charge of the batting unit. Despite his decades of experience and close rapport with players, Bangladesh’s difficult 2025 — marked by a series of defeats across all formats — added pressure on the coaching setup.
During a press conference in July, Salahuddin expressed frustration over internal criticism, saying, “After coaching for 27-28 years, I am hearing there are lots of complaints in the team against me. I’d like to know what they are — best if they were given to me in writing.”
Ashraful’s journey has been far from smooth. He served a ban in 2013 for match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League but was reinstated after three years and has since transitioned into coaching. Just last month, he voiced concern over Bangladesh’s inconsistent top-order performances — and now, he’ll have the opportunity to help fix that from within the team setup.
