Does Bangladesh’s national cricket team have room for local coaches?
In spite of the board’s recent bluster, local coaches in the nation’s cricket system continue to be shunned by the Bangladesh Cricket Board, which seems to have some stigma attached to it when it comes to appraising them.
It’s a widely held belief in every aspect of BCB’s game development that a foreign coach will take the lead while his domestic counterpart will provide support. This is also true in the national team’s dressing room, where a large number of overseas coaches work because BCB executives think they’re the best option for advancement.
There were some outliers, such as when Khaled Mahmud temporarily filled the position, although that seemed more like a stopgap solution than anything else.
After taking everything into account, another prominent coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, who previously served as Jamie Siddons’ assistant coach in the national squad, was hesitant to try his luck in the national setup.
When BCB posted openings for several coaching positions in the wake of the disastrous 2023 ICC ODI World Cup, both of these elite coaches—Mahmud and Salahuddin—did not submit applications.
Both Mahmud and Salahuddin have established records in the domestic game, and a large portion of the nation’s cricket culture believes they should be given the opportunity to lead the national squad. Nazmul Hasan, the president of BCB, argued differently, saying there was little likelihood that any of them would be in the driver’s seat anytime soon.
“What is the purpose of your query to me? To what extent have I responded to this question? We wanted local instructors, didn’t we? But nobody applied. Has anyone submitted an application? Take a look at these things you say about his wanting to be this and how nobody tells us about it—only the media does. We make an offer, but nobody takes advantage of it to apply. When questioned by a journalist on Sunday (July 28) about the prospects of local coaches in the national team, Nazmul responded angrily. “There is someone abroad and he also says that no one asks him and we invited through newspaper ads.”
“The first thing is what you want, not what you’re expressing. I have nothing to say till you get this if you believe that managing a team in club or franchise cricket and competing against ICC World Cup sides are the same thing.
“Allow me to add one more thing. What would be the issue with you taking on the role of assistant coach, and why wouldn’t you want to learn in that case? The primary issue we face is our resistance to learning. It won’t be good if someone believes I am all-knowing. Since I am always learning, why won’t you? Thus, if someone believes that they don’t need to learn anything, whether it be from a coach or players who refuse to assist them.
“I believe that everyone should learn and step forward if they love their nation. We are prepared to welcome everyone and have a plan in place so that, hopefully, all of the head coaches and coaching staff members will be locals in the future. They must go through a procedure, but I’m not prepared to accept anything that is contingent,” he continued.
Given their public personas, comprehends that the two domestic coaches were not prepared to aid the Bangladeshi team as assistant coaches. The fact that two of the nation’s top coaches, who have established success at the local level and with current national team cricket players, are not included in the national setup demotivates other local coaches in the system.
Nazmul Abedin, the nation’s seasoned cricket coach, departed BCB this year after serving the board in a different role for 14 long years. He believes that, aside from those two, there aren’t many local coaches qualified to lead the national team, but that in order to develop them, a suitable path should be followed rather than asking them to serve as assistant coaches.
“I don’t think there are lots of coaches in the country to fill that spot (national head coach) and there are two or three to be more precise and I don’t think they are given the opportunity to prepare them (for the hot seat),” Abedin stated to on Monday.
“Well, they have a track record of success having coached extensively in league and franchise cricket. They prefer to make their own decisions, which won’t happen if they accept assistant coach positions (in the national team).” They may have weaknesses, but they also have experience, and I have no doubt that they can grow and overcome their weaknesses if they are assigned to the A team or any other teams, if not the national squad.
“They must learn from their own experience rather than from other coaches, it is a fact. They have extensive experience in this field, have their own ideas and coaching philosophies, and are likely to stick with them, so there is no place for them in terms of decision-making as assistant coach (of the national team). For that role, you can take someone raw and groom him, but not them,” the speaker stated.
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It is widely believed that the BCB chose to name Sohel Islam, another accomplished coach, as the head coach of the Bangladesh Tigers Program. It is unclear, however, if this appointment was made with the intention of developing Islam for the future, considering Bangladesh’s track record with coaches.
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