Sarowar Imran Criticizes Bangladesh Women’s Team Discipline and Fitness
Former Bangladesh women’s team head coach Sarowar Imran has spoken out regarding his departure, suggesting that his efforts to challenge the team’s comfort zone were misinterpreted as personal temperament issues, which ultimately led to the end of his tenure. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) opted not to extend his contract following its expiration in October 2026, which occurred after the Asian Games. He has since been succeeded by David Hemp. One or two batters bat for the whole day and after seeing all these I started interfering.
Sarowar, who previously served as head coach during Bangladesh’s inaugural Test against India in 2000, stated that the board failed to engage with him or seek his perspective before removing him from the position. He noted that the only formal communication received after the Asian Games and Asia Cup was a notification that he would not be traveling for the Australia tour.
Addressing claims of an “ill temper,” the coach argued that he arrived to find a culture of complacency where staff members, including bowling and batting coaches, were hesitant to push players for fear of conflict. He characterized the existing environment as a “comfort zone” that has hindered the team’s growth for several years. According to Sarowar, it was common for players to dictate their own workloads, such as a spinner refusing to bowl more than 30 deliveries, with coaches rarely challenging such decisions. A spinner after bowling 30 deliveries tells the coach that she won’t bowl any more and the coach agrees. That is the reason our team is still the same as it was five years back. That will never happen,” he said, if I feel that I will be world champion only by bowling 30 balls.
“When I needed to scold them I did that and if you say this is ill temper in that case I don’t feel Bangladesh cricket can improve,” Sarowar told Ekattur TV on November 10. He emphasized that his professional approach is often mistaken for a lack of restraint, asserting, “I am a coach and I am not their friend.” He further alleged that coaching staff members frequently prioritized job security by accommodating players rather than pushing for higher performance standards. This is all the communication I had with BCB,” Sarowar was quoted as saying by Ekattur TV on Tuesday (November 10). “As far as my ill temper is concerned when I entered the women’s team, what I saw was that there from bo. I have my own dignity and I am aware of what I am capable of and I don’t work to show off. Expressing discomfort with his approach, understands that some senior players had also complained to the board about his behaviour. A coach cannot be a friend of a player because if I am a friend of a player I cannot drop the player.
The former coach expressed grave concerns regarding the physical conditioning of the squad, claiming that more than half of the first XI players currently fall below the necessary international fitness levels. He argued that success on the world stage is impossible with the current lack of rigor, noting that most players are below average, while only a select few meet standard requirements. He dismissed the idea of achieving elite results while maintaining low-intensity training habits.
Regarding team dynamics, Sarowar stopped short of confirming deep-seated internal factions but observed that captain Nigar Sultana appeared to have varying levels of closeness with different squad members. While the BCB initially considered issuing a show-cause notice to Sarowar following dressing room unrest after the Asian Games, they ultimately refrained from doing so, acknowledging his extensive history of service to the sport in Bangladesh. The BCB, however, eventually dropped its plan to issue the notice, taking his long-standing service to Bangladesh cricket into consideration.
