Coach Salahuddin Hopes for a Comeback in Second Innings Despite Dismal Start

Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin once again shared a story of potential comeback in the second innings after the team’s poor start in the Sylhet Test against Zimbabwe. On the first day, Bangladesh were bowled out for a disappointing total of just 191 runs—an underwhelming performance that the coach openly acknowledged.

Speaking at the press conference after the day’s play, Salahuddin said,
"Days like this can happen; a team can have a bad day. In Test cricket, there’s always a second chance. I believe the team will bounce back strongly in the second innings."

However, he was not keen on placing all the blame solely on the players.
"I’ve seen these boys up close—their mindset, work ethic, and desire are all there. We can’t just blame them alone. There are many other factors at play, which I can't always talk about, nor is it right to. What matters now is how quickly we can fix things," he added.

Salahuddin pointed to both tactical errors and mental lapses as causes for the collapse.
"I agree we made some tactical mistakes. But there’s also a mental aspect. Even when we had the game under control, we played reckless shots out of nowhere. It’s all psychological. We must address this immediately. Opponents are regularly capitalizing on these weaknesses. In other formats, you get just one innings; in Tests, there's another chance."

When asked why Bangladesh opted to bat first after winning the toss—was it to avoid batting in the fourth innings?—Salahuddin dismissed the suggestion.

"No, nothing like that. There’s no point blaming the pitch. Zimbabwe batted well. We made some tactical errors. Our batters didn’t appear overly uncomfortable; we just didn’t apply ourselves properly. Mistakes were made. The batters themselves can better explain the situations they were in."