Former Bangladesh women’s head coach Sarowar Imran believes his departure was less about failure and more about refusing to let the side remain in its comfort zone. With the BCB choosing not to extend his contract after it expired in October 2026, following the Asian Games, and appointing David Hemp as his replacement, Sarowar has offered a pointed defence of his methods, his temperament and his vision for Bangladesh women’s cricket.
His remarks come at a significant moment for the regional game. The second edition of the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy, to be hosted by the United Arab Emirates from November 12 to 25, 2026, has expanded from eight teams in Thailand to ten. Bangladesh are among five Full Member nations, alongside Ireland, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Pakistan, joining Papua New Guinea, Scotland, the UAE, the Netherlands and Thailand in the tournament.
For Sarowar, however, the immediate issue is not the Emerging Nations Trophy but the manner in which his tenure ended. He said the BCB did not speak to him after the Asian Games or the Asia Cup, and that his only communication was a letter informing him that another coach would travel with the side to Australia. “BCB did not communicate with me after the Asian Games and Asia Cup. I got a letter that I am not going on the Australia tour as another coach will go. This is all the communication I had with BCB,” Sarowar told Ekattur TV.
The board’s decision followed reports of unrest in the Bangladesh dressing room after their Asian Games exit. Cricbuzz understands that senior players had raised concerns about Sarowar’s behaviour and expressed discomfort with his approach. The BCB had considered issuing him a show-cause notice, but ultimately dropped the plan in recognition of his long service to Bangladesh cricket.
Sarowar, though, sees the criticism differently. He argued that the environment he inherited had become too accommodating, with support staff reluctant to challenge players. “When I entered the women’s team, what I saw was that there, from the bowling coach to the spin bowling coach, batting coach, trainer, and physio, all were very quiet. They listen to whatever the women cricketers say, and they cannot improve while living in this comfort zone,” he said.
His most striking example concerned a spinner who, according to Sarowar, stopped after bowling 30 deliveries and was allowed to do so by the coaching staff. “A spinner, after bowling 30 deliveries, tells the coach that she won’t bowl any more, and the coach agrees,” he said. “One or two batters bat for the whole day, and after seeing all these I started interfering.”
Sarowar insisted that firmness should not be mistaken for poor temperament. “If anyone says that I am ill-tempered, that is wrong because in life I can have temper, but when I am coaching I am not ill-tempered because I am a professional and I know what needs to be done,” he said. He was equally blunt about the distinction between coaching and friendship. “A coach cannot be a friend of a player because if I am a friend of a player, I cannot drop the player. I am a coach, and I am not their friend,” he added.
Fitness, in his view, remained the most fundamental concern. Sarowar claimed that more than half of Bangladesh’s first-choice XI were below the required international standard, with only a couple meeting it. “If I feel that I will be world champion only by bowling 30 balls, that will never happen,” he said.
He also suggested that previous coaches had adjusted their approach to protect their positions. “Whoever worked with them adjusted with them, but the women cricketers won’t improve if they are in the comfort zone,” Sarowar said. “I feel a coach ensures his job by doing this.” While he could not confirm whether factions existed in the squad, he observed that captain Nigar Sultana was not equally close to every player. “Some were close to the captain while some others were not close to the captain,” he said.
Sarowar believes seven or eight tours of work should not have been erased by failure in one or two. Whether Bangladesh’s next phase under David Hemp brings greater harmony or merely a different kind of pressure, Sarowar’s parting message is clear: improvement, in his view, cannot begin without discomfort.
(Quotes sourced from Cricbuzz)
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