New Management Appointed for Bangladesh Under-19 Team

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially announced the appointment of new management personnel for the national Under-19 cricket team. Former national team batsman and former national selector Hannan Sarkar has been appointed as the new head coach of the youth squad.

Concurrently, veteran cricketer Mahmudullah Riyad has been transitionally integrated into a crucial administrative and mentoring role. Despite continuing his participation in domestic cricket following his retirement from international formats, and prior to declaring an official retirement from all forms of competitive cricket, Mahmudullah has been appointed as a consultant for the youth and development pathways.

Scope of Responsibilities and Strategic Appointments

Mahmudullah’s consultative responsibilities extend beyond the Under-19 squad; he is slated to advise various rosters within the BCB’s game development structures. The board additionally intends to include him in the support staff for the High Performance (HP) Unit during their forthcoming tour of Australia. For the same overseas tour, the BCB plans to utilise the expertise of former national opening batsman Imrul Kayes, who currently resides in Australia, by inducting him into the operational coaching panel.

The newly appointed head coach, Hannan Sarkar, is currently engaged with coaching commitments in domestic club cricket. However, the governing body has stipulated that during active Under-19 international or bilateral fixtures, he must remain exclusively dedicated to his duties with the youth team. Furthermore, under standard BCB regulations, contracted coaches are permitted to offer their professional services to either the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) or the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), but are strictly restricted from participating in both tournaments simultaneously.

Preparations for the 2028 Youth World Cup

These managerial restructuring steps have been executed in alignment with the BCB’s long-term preparation campaign targeting the 2028 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup. The primary domestic talent scouting infrastructure, the Youth Cricket League, has already concluded its seasonal operations. Following talent identification from the tournament, an intensive training camp comprising a preliminary cohort of 45 young cricketers is currently underway in Khulna.

Reflecting on his new appointment, Head Coach Hannan Sarkar stated that he had long harboured an ambition for such a role. He noted that he had operated as a professional coach prior to serving a nine-year tenure within the national selection panel. He added that the board’s current policy of promoting and integrating local coaches into international structures provided renewed professional aspirations.

Overview of Recent Appointments and Developmental Structure

The operational details of the newly appointed management and the current training structure are summarised in the table below: