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The Bangladesh national team’s new senior assistant coach, Md Salahuddin, believes the next generation of cricketers can be a big asset in world cricket with proper guidance and changes in their way of thinking. 

He also hopes that his appointment will pave the way for the upcoming local coaches. 

Salahuddin was reappointed to the national setup after almost 14 years, having previously served as an assistant and fielding coach for four years. He also worked with the BCB Academy in 2014.

’The coach’s job is to show the path. Ultimately, the boys will play on the field. My challenge is to motivate them to think. I want a change in their thoughts. They will think about themselves and how their goal should be,’ said Salahuddin. 

After working with Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, and Mominul Haque, he is now prepared to embrace a broader role. The challenge of his new role is to take the game of cricket forward.

‘The generation of Shakib, Tamim, and Mushfiq—they took our cricket to a certain stage. If we cannot break that, then I’d say that our cricket hasn’t moved forward. Now [our job is to] make sure that the next generation will be much better, much bigger players,’ he said.

‘It’s not an impossible task. We play much better cricket than before, and now the players are independent in terms of physical, financial, and mental aspects. So, we have a higher chance to do better. We have a lot of scope for improvements.’

‘If they believe and a change can be brought in their mindset, then these boys will be a big asset for us in world cricket’, he added. 

Salahuddin emphasized much on the mental aspect of the cricketers.

‘If you ask the players from the Under-19 or HP team, they will say that they want to play in the national team, and the dream stops there. They don’t know how to set a goal beyond that. 

‘These are not big tasks—it’s about understanding the mindset they should adopt, how to elevate their game, and how to motivate themselves.

‘These are tiny steps. If you can adjust to some changes, then a brighter future awaits.’ 

The much-respected coach in the domestic circuit also described how he was motivated to take up the role.

‘If I can show the path to the local coaches, for whatever periods, I’ve had a responsibility. That’s why I took it as a challenge,’ he added.

Salahuddin’s first assignment will be the upcoming West Indies tour, where Bangladesh will play two Tests and three ODIs and T20Is each.

But he already began his work with the players who are not in the Afghanistan series.