‘Ideal candidate’ Salahuddin’s premature exit

Bangladesh senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin tendered his resignation to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) yesterday -- a decision that has the potential to adversely impact local coaches' future within the national team's structure.

"He [Salahuddin] has expressed his desire to step down after the series against Ireland," BCB cricket operations committee chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim was quoted in the media release.

There was a lot of expectations surrounding his appointment in November 2024. Local coaches usually get overlooked for the national team in favour of coaches from overseas. Salahuddin had a chance to change that perception.

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BCB confirms Salahuddin’s resignation

Faruque Ahmed, BCB president at the time, felt he was the "ideal candidate for this role" and said his appointment would be the beginning of integrating "more capable Bangladeshi coaches into the system".

Even Salahuddin himself has said at the time, "If I can do my job well, it would open doors for other local coaches."

But in the end, he left the post with around two years left in his contract, a move that may have set back local coaches even further.

In the absence of a batting coach, Salahuddin worked mostly with the batters in his year-long tenure.

During this period, the team's batting performances were on the decline across formats and as coach, Salahuddin faced criticism over it. Several reports also accused him of favouring certain players, which drew further scrutiny.

The situation reportedly worsened after the BCB appointed Mohammad Ashraful as a specialised batting coach for the Ireland series -- a move believed to have caused dissatisfaction for Salahuddin.

He was initially contracted until the ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025, but later his contract was extended through to the 2027 ICC World Cup. But just a little over three months after his extension, Salahuddin chose to step down.