Shawdesh Desk:
Bangladesh national team’s batting coach Mohammad Salahuddin said on Tuesday that lack of experience can’t be put as an excuse when someoneone’s playing in the national team.
Bangladesh are missing a number of key senior players in their ongoing West Indies tour. Many believe that a lack of experience is preventing young players from excelling on the international stage.
However, Salahuddin does not believe in shielding young cricketers by using inexperience as an excuse.
Salahuddin emphasized that earning a spot in the national team means being one of the country’s top 11 cricketers. Therefore, he asserts, there is no room for excuses—players must deliver performances regardless of their experience level.
“This is normal because the ones who played before had been part of Bangladesh cricket for a long time. Perhaps we didn’t prepare the necessary backups, but I don’t want to dwell on why they weren’t prepared. However, when you play for the Bangladesh team, you cannot bring up the issue of experience as an excuse,” he said ahead of the second ODI at St Kitts.
“My request is that when you come to play for the national team, you are already one of the best 11 cricketers in Bangladesh. So, I won’t give you a pass based on the excuse of experience. Whether it’s two matches or three matches, you have to deliver. Using experience as an excuse here is simply not right,” he added.
While coaching Comilla Victorians, Salahuddin had previously raised concerns about the game sense of Bangladeshi cricketers. Now working as the batting coach of the national team in the West Indies, he is directly involved in mentoring the players. Recently joining the national coaching staff, Salahuddin has been trying to guide players hands-on.
He believed that players would become better cricketers if they learned to make their own decisions instead of solely relying on coaches’ instructions, which would ultimately benefit Bangladesh cricket as well.
Salahuddin remarked, “The players should take responsibility for making their own decisions about what’s good or bad. I always tell them that as coaches, we will say a lot of things and give many suggestions. But they should only adopt what resonates with them and aligns with their approach. That way, they might become mature players. From a mental perspective, I believe our players need to develop the ability to make their own decisions. Not everything has to come from the coach. If they can take ownership of their decisions, it will be better for them.”
“Now, if the wicket turns out to be tricky tomorrow, it’s not enough for us to tell them how to play from the sidelines. They have to decide for themselves how to approach the game on that wicket and determine the target score. If they can improve in this aspect, I think they’ll become much more mature players. Strengthening this mental side will not only help them but also make us a stronger team in the future,” he concluded.
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