Mohammad Salahuddin stepped down from his role as Bangladesh’s senior assistant coach after the team’s historic 2-0 Test series sweep against Pakistan. As his stint with the national team came to an end, Salahuddin spoke about the team’s growth and said Bangladesh are slowly building a stronger culture.
He said the coaching staff never worried about criticism from outside and always stayed focused on the team’s progress.
“We never thought about who said what from outside. We only wanted to see whether the team was moving forward and becoming better.”
Bangladesh went through difficult periods in recent years. Changes in the coaching setup often became a major topic after poor results. Salahuddin said people outside the team may have focused on those issues, but inside the dressing room the target was always improvement.
He said the team also needed time after losing experienced players.
“Five or six mature players who served the country for a long time left. You cannot fill that gap overnight.”
He also said people needed to be more patient during that period.
“We needed time and people were not willing to give that time.”
Salahuddin feels the team has shown progress over the last few months. Still, he said Bangladesh cannot become satisfied with where they are now.
“We still have not done well in major tournaments and our Test Championship position is not where we want it to be.”
Bangladesh are currently seventh in the World Test Championship standings. Salahuddin believes reaching the top four would be a major achievement.
“If we can win all our home Tests and take one or two wins from tough away series like South Africa or Australia, then reaching the top four is possible.”
He also spoke about a change in the team’s mindset. According to him, Bangladesh are now slowly building a winning culture.
“We used to win one series and then disappear for two or three series. But now the players are moving toward a winning culture. Slowly it will become a habit.”
Salahuddin praised the growing maturity of the players and said the coaching group now wants cricketers to take more responsibility on the field.
He used Litton Das as an example after his important innings in the Sylhet Test.
“We are trying to move away from feeding players every decision. Players need to make decisions on the field.”
He also said the environment inside the dressing room has improved. Communication between players has become stronger and that has helped the team.
“The environment is very good. The players understand each other better now and communication has improved.”
Although he stepped away from his national team role, Salahuddin said he is still close to Bangladesh cricket and will continue supporting the players.
“I am not going far away. I will still be around. I am a coach. I will work where I enjoy working.”
