Mohammad Salauddin Opens Up About His Role as Assistant Coach and Future Plans

After much speculation, Mohammad Salauddin has officially taken on the role of assistant coach for the Bangladesh national cricket team. In his first press interaction since assuming the position, Salauddin shared his plans and vision for the team moving forward.

As assistant coach, Salauddin will be working closely with head coach Phil Simmons to support the team. His key focus will be helping build the confidence of the players and ensuring smooth communication between the local and foreign coaching staff. He explained, "Since I am the assistant coach and Phil Simmons is the head coach, my role will primarily be to assist him with his philosophy and the way he runs the team. I'll help the players in any way I can. It might be a bit different from my previous role, but my goal is to ensure the players feel confident. I’ll also focus on improving communication between the foreign coaches and the players."

Salauddin's remarks came after the national team’s recent victory, which saw the return of Nasum Ahmed to the national squad after a year, as well as a remarkable debut from Zakir Ali Anik in his first international ODI. Both players have been receiving praise from fans and the media alike. However, Salahuddin cautioned against rushing to label players as heroes or zeros too quickly.

He advised, "Don’t rush to make someone a hero, and don’t rush to make them a zero either. Give the players some time, especially the new ones. It will be beneficial for them in the long run. Sometimes, players, especially new ones, struggle with the pressure, especially from the media. Some handle it well, while others don’t. Not everyone grows with the same mindset, so we need to give them space."

Reflecting on the role of local coaches, Salauddin emphasized the need for domestic coaches to build their own value within the team. "Local coaches need to create their own value. No one will create that value for them. If you can't create your value in your profession, then the responsibility lies with us. Local coaches are doing good work right now, and in the future, better opportunities will come. They are performing well, but there is still room for improvement in some areas. If we improve on some external factors, our local coaches will be in better positions in the future," he said.

Discussing his personal responsibilities as assistant coach, Salahuddin expressed his commitment to delivering results and giving back the love and support he has received from fans. "I will try my best to repay the love I’ve received over the last few days. It's become my moral responsibility to do something good. Whether it’s the Champions Trophy or beyond, whatever time I have, if I can bring some positive change to someone’s life, then I will consider that a success," he concluded.

With Salahuddin now part of the coaching staff, there is a renewed sense of optimism surrounding Bangladesh cricket, and his contributions are expected to play a key role in shaping the team's future success.