'Will give us a really good indication of where we stand' - Bangladesh coach Hemp on Australia tour

The Bangladesh Cricket Board confirmed on September 30, 2026 that David Hemp has been appointed head coach of the Bangladesh women's cricket team on a two-year contract running through to September 2028. The 55-year-old joins the squad in Brisbane immediately, ahead of a three-match ODI series against Australia. Bangladesh departed for the tour on October 3, 2026.

Hemp steps into the position vacated by Sarowar Imran, who had held the women's head coach role since February 2025. No official reason for Imran's departure has been disclosed by the BCB. Hemp is not new to the Bangladesh women's setup: he served as batting coach when Bangladesh competed in the ODI World Cup Qualifier held in Pakistan in 2025, and he returned in the same capacity for the Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier staged in Nepal in 2026.

"I mean it's always nice. I enjoyed my time here and obviously looking forward to this next stint," he said. He added: "Having worked with the girls previously so I know what to expect and that's one of the reasons why I'm coming back because I enjoyed the environment," Hemp said, speaking to Cricbuzz.

Hemp's association with the BCB dates to May 2023, when he joined as head coach of the High Performance programme. He moved into the men's setup in 2024 as batting coach and also brings international head coaching experience from his time leading the Pakistan women's team between 2020 and 2022.

What challenge does the Australia tour present for Hemp's Bangladesh side?

Australia are currently ranked number one in the world in both ODI and T20I women's cricket, making the three-match series at Allan Border Field in Brisbane a significant early examination for Hemp and his squad. The matches are scheduled for October 9, 11 and 14. Hemp acknowledged the scale of the task ahead, but remained positive about the opportunity.

"Obviously, Australia tour is a huge challenge certainly because statistically where Australia ranks. They're the number one side in the world in women's cricket, both in ODI cricket and T20. And they have individual players that are ranked highly within that, within the ICC system. I think it's a really good opportunity for us as well. You want to play against the best players because you want to be tested. It'll give us a really good indication of where we stand and also what we can pick up and what we can learn and how we can try and evolve ourselves to be able to challenge these teams at the top of the tree,"

How does Hemp plan to unite the Bangladesh women's squad going forward?

Bangladesh women's cricket has gone through a period of upheaval in recent months, with former head coach Sarowar Imran publicly raising concerns over the management of the team. His comments came amid developments that eventually saw Nigar Sultana step down as T20I captain. When asked about these developments, Hemp drew on his previous experience with the side to underline his confidence in the squad's ability.

"I don't know what's been going on," and stressed the importance of collective focus instead. Any team needs to just focus on what we can control and you know the most important thing for us as a group is to really connect and make sure that we're all on the same page, all trying to move forward together. As I say, my experience with the team has only been positive because the two tournaments that I went to (being part of the women’s cricket team) they played some really good cricket and seemed to have a good camaraderie and atmosphere together," he said.

"My point to the players is simply trying to move forward and trying to improve the consistency of how we play because we want to move up the rankings and I feel that where we're ranked at the moment, I don't think is really a true reflection of the quality that we have within the squad because I've seen them play some really good cricket. So, that's the challenge and the most important thing is everyone's on the same page and everyone's trying to move forward and improve day-by-day and week-by-week. That's all you can ask of the playing group," he added.