Hemp urges Bangladesh to stay positive against Australia

David Hemp, the newly appointed head coach of the Bangladesh women's team, wants his team to return from Australia without having any regrets about not playing their style of cricket. Hemp, 55, will begin his two-year stint with the Bangladesh women's team with the three-match ODI series against Australia, starting at Allan Border Field in Brisbane on October 9.

"We can't hide the fact that we're competing against the world's best women's team. They're number one in ODIs and also in T20s. Therefore, the most difficult task will be comprehending that. They are an excellent team with extremely talented individuals. However, Hemp stated prior to the series opener on Thursday, "My expectations regarding how we play are just more around being positive within the game."

"And the last thing we want to do is return to Bangladesh in a week and say, "Oh, I wish we'd played this way, I wish we'd played that way." We need to approach everything with positivity, not just when we play the game but also when we approach it and think about it. And as long as we're doing that, then we'll move forward in a positive way," he said.

The appointment marks Hemp's return to the Bangladesh women's setup, having previously worked as batting coach during the 2025 ICC Women's ODI World Cup Qualifier in Pakistan and the ICC Women's T20 World Cup Qualifier in Nepal earlier this year.

Hemp is of the opinion that his prior association with the team has eased his return to the setup as Bangladesh prepare for their first bilateral series against Australia in Australia. "Yeah, obviously, I've only been with the team for a little more than a week, but I'm fortunate to have worked with them in the World Cup qualifier a year and a half ago. "So I'm new to the setup, but I've also worked with the team in the past," Hemp stated.

"It's been great. I mean, I know the players, and I know they're doing a great job of working together, getting used to each other, and talking about how we want to play the game. "Because I've been here before with the group, that transition has been a little easier for me," he stated.

Hemp also acknowledged the difficulty of adapting to the pace and bounce of Australian wickets, to which Bangladeshi players are accustomed, but stated that they had made good progress during preparations.

"This is our first time playing in a bilateral series in Australia, so our preparation has been excellent. We were fortunate to have a practice game, and the wickets we've been practicing on have been excellent," Hemp stated.

"Since the wickets have a little bit more pace and bounce than they're used to, it's been a little bit of a challenge for the players from that point of view. But they've adjusted really well and really tried to adjust and adapt to those conditions.

Hemp said in his conclusion, "And that's all you can ask because it is foreign and new, but as I said, it's been a really good four, five days so far in terms of preparation."