Sarowar Imran Says Reports Unsettled Bangladesh Women at Asian Games

Bangladesh Women’s head coach Sarowar Imran has said speculation about his own future and the captaincy disrupted the squad during the 2026 Asian Games, where they finished fourth.

Bangladesh lost the bronze-medal match to Pakistan by 31 runs on September 22, reaching 114 for 7 in reply to 145 for 8. They had earlier lost the semi-final to India by 114 runs.

Tension in the dressing room

Imran said reports that neither he nor captain Nigar Sultana would be retained appeared in the middle of a tournament. He questioned how results could be expected when the head coach and captain were being sidelined in public, though he accepted this was not an excuse.

Calls for investment

He described the problem as wider than one event. Women’s cricket in Bangladesh, he said, only recently began gaining traction and needs school cricket, Under-18 programmes, High Performance camps and proper training facilities if it is to narrow the gap to India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He noted efforts to give the women treatment similar to the men and believed steady development could bring big progress within a year.

Contract and captaincy

Imran confirmed his two-year contract ends in October 2026 and said he has no expectations about it. The board had reportedly been looking at changes to the coaching staff, with David Hemp named as a possible successor and also linked to batting duties.

Nigar announced she would step down as T20I captain after the Games, saying she wanted to focus on her own performances. Imran tied the decision to the criticism around the team.

Where the slump began

Imran traced the poor run to a close Asia Cup loss to Sri Lanka, after which he said rumours started circulating. Bangladesh then struggled to pass 120-130 against Indonesia and the UAE, and he felt that form carried into the Asian Games.