Bangladesh’s build-up to Wednesday’s third T20I in Sri Lanka was anything but calm. A run of series defeats – UAE, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and now Sri Lanka in both Tests and ODIs – has put every role under the microscope. On Tuesday, the spotlight landed squarely on assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin, who has been in charge of the batting unit since November.
Asked whether the board was looking elsewhere for a batting coach, Salahuddin did not duck the issue.
“My role as a coach in the Bangladesh team isn’t set in stone,” he replied. “I have never had any ego about it. If someone better comes (in the role of a batting coach), it will be for the team. The Bangladesh team is not the property of my father and grandfather. I will get criticised when I don’t do well, I will get praised when I do well. It is the reality. Whether I give 100% for my team, whether I am honest or not, is the main concern.”
The tone was firm rather than fiery, yet the frustration was clear. Recent reports have suggested he influences selection and batting positions – a claim that irritates a man who has spent two-plus decades coaching in Bangladesh’s domestic circuit.
“After coaching for 27-28 years, I am hearing that there are lots of complaints in the team against me. I really would like to know about those complaints. Best if it was given to me in writing. You have to provide hard evidence. It will help me correct myself,” he said.
Bangladesh’s numbers do little to protect him. Since he joined the national set-up, the top six have averaged under 25 runs per wicket, and only one half-century has arrived in the current tour. In fairness, surfaces in Colombo and Kandy have offered seam and bounce, but the pattern mirrors struggles in Dubai and Rawalpindi earlier in the year.
Former opener Javed Omar believes the conversation should be wider than one coach. “Technique is only half the story,” he told a Dhaka radio show. “The players have to own their plans, particularly against the short ball. That responsibility cannot be outsourced.”
Inside the camp, however, fingers continue to point. Salahuddin’s long association with stars such as Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz is well known, and some critics whisper about favouritism. The coach shrugged it off.
“If I feel that the team needs a change for the good of the team, I will most likely do that. Our team has been losing regularly, so how will I benefit from favouritism?”
The unrest is not limited to coaching matters. Last month Najmul Hossain Shanto resigned the Test captaincy, lamenting that the dressing room had “too many captains”. For now, Litton and Miraz remain in charge of the T20I and ODI sides respectively, but continuity feels fragile.
Sri Lanka, by contrast, are on a roll, having already secured the Test and ODI trophies. A win on Wednesday would complete a clean sweep and deepen Bangladesh’s introspection.
Whether the Bangladesh Cricket Board moves for a new batting mentor after this tour remains to be seen. Salahuddin insists he has no problem if that day arrives, though one suspects he would prefer to leave with a few more runs on the board – and a few less rumours swirling around.
