Mohammad Salahuddin has had extensive experience working with local cricketers over the years. He started his journey with the national team as a senior assistant coach before taking on the additional responsibility of overseeing the batting department.
Salahuddin’s contract with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was set to run until the 2027 ODI World Cup. However, he recently announced that he would be stepping down after the Ireland series. Prior to this, there had been various discussions and criticisms surrounding his time with the team, including accusations of favouritism towards certain players.
However, Test captain Nazmul Hossain has dismissed these claims, asserting that Salahuddin treated every player equally during his tenure. Speaking at a press conference before the two-match Test series against Ireland in Sylhet, Nazmul said, “Throughout the time he worked with us, I really enjoyed it. The most important thing is that he tried to treat every cricketer equally and gave priority to each individual. He worked on improving areas where players had deficiencies, based on their capabilities. But sometimes, from a distance, things can seem different, and we’re hearing some of these things now.”
Nazmul also made it clear that many of the rumours and claims circulating about Salahuddin’s approach were not true. He added, “Not everything being said is accurate. We were all happy with him. In the recent series I played, I enjoyed every bit of it. I believe he did excellent work during his time with the team.”
Ahead of Salahuddin’s resignation, Mohammad Ashraful, the former national team captain, has been appointed as the batting coach for the Ireland series. Ashraful, who has had a long career with the national team and has also worked as a coach in domestic cricket and franchise leagues, will now bring his expertise to the team.
Shanto, reflecting on his experience working with Ashraful, shared, “We’re all very excited. His experience—having played cricket for so many years and now transitioning into coaching—is something we all respect. We’ve seen him play on TV, but we’ve never had the chance to work together in the dressing room before. As far as I know, he is here for this series, and since the time is limited, we might not have a lot of opportunities to work on technical aspects. But he’s sharing his experience with us as much as possible, and I’m hopeful that it will benefit us.”