Former Bangladesh women's team head coach Sarowar Imran believes he paid the price for trying to push the players out of their comfort zone.

The BCB did not extend Sarowar's contract following its expiry in October 2026, after the Asian Games, and subsequently replaced him with David Hemp as head coach, with the board citing concerns over his temperament.

Cricbuzz understands that some senior players had also complained to the board about his behaviour, expressing discomfort with his approach.

Sarowar had earlier revealed that there was unrest in the dressing room following Bangladesh's exit from the Asian Games, prompting the board to issue him a show-cause notice. The BCB, however, eventually dropped its plan to issue the notice, taking his long-standing service to Bangladesh cricket into consideration.

Sarowar, who guided Bangladesh as head coach during their inaugural Test against India in 2000, said the board did not communicate with him to hear his side of the story before removing him from the women's team coaching position.

"BCB did not communicate with me after the Asian Games and Asia Cup. I got a letter that I am not going to the Australia tour as another coach will go. 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 bowling coach to spin bowling coach, batting coach, trainer, physio all were very quiet. They listen to whatever the women cricketers say and they cannot improve living in this comfort zone. That is the reason our team is still the same as it was five years back.

"A spinner after bowling 30 deliveries tells the coach that she won't bowl any more and the coach agrees. One or two batters bat for the whole day and after seeing all these I started interfering. I also interfered regarding their fitness. 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," he said. "I felt I could improve them and had seven to eight tours and everything ended just because of failing in one or two tours.

"I have my own dignity and I am aware of what I am capable of and I don't work to show off. I don't have any problem and there is no reason to feel that my prestige has gone down because I know my work. If anyone says that I am ill-tempered that is wrong because in life I can have temper but when I am coaching I am not ill-tempered because I am a professional and I know what needs to be done. A coach cannot be a friend of a player because if I am a friend of a player I cannot drop the player. I am a coach and I am not their friend," said Sarowar.

Sarowar also alleged that members of the coaching staff had to adjust their approach to accommodate the players and protect their own positions. "I think whoever worked with them (women cricketers) adjusted with them but the women cricketers won't improve if they are in the comfort zone and I felt foreign coaches also did the same. I feel a coach ensures his job by doing this (adjusting and remaining silent)."

He also raised concerns over the team's fitness standards, claiming that more than half of the players in Bangladesh's first XI were not at the required level. "I am telling you more than half of the first XI cricketers do not have the required fitness level. Most of them are below average (in fitness) while some of them are medium while a couple have standard fitness level," said Sarowar.

"Fitness is a big issue and when the fitness test is conducted the trainer can say how many of them match international fitness level. They don't have that (fitness level). If I feel that I will be world champion only by bowling 30 balls, that will never happen," he said.

Sarowar said he was not in a position to confirm whether there were factions within the women's team but suggested that captain Nigar Sultana did not share a close relationship with every member of the squad. "I cannot say about grouping but some were close to the captain while some others were not close to the captain."