DHAKA – In a scathing indictment of political leadership within the nation’s sporting arena, Bangladesh national cricket team senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin has broken his silence regarding the country’s controversial absence from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Targeting former sports advisor Asif Nazrul, Salahuddin accused the official of "blatant lies" and a catastrophic "U-turn" regarding who was truly responsible for the team’s withdrawal.
The U-Turn That Shook the Team
The controversy centers on the shifting narrative of Bangladesh’s World Cup exit. Initially, the government, through Nazrul, maintained that the decision to boycott the tournament in India was a state-mandated security measure. However, in a startling reversal just before exiting his post, Nazrul claimed the decision was actually a "sacrifice" made voluntarily by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the players themselves.
A report by Cricbuzz highlights the friction this caused, suggesting that the decision was imposed on the squad during high-level meetings rather than being a choice made by the athletes.
Salahuddin, a teacher by profession, expressed deep personal betrayal over the reversal:
"He told such blatant lies. I am a teacher myself, and teachers generally lie a bit less. That he would say such lies so openly—I honestly can't even imagine it. How will I even show my face in front of the boys? He took such a U-turn."
The coach emphasized that such perceived dishonesty from a professor at Dhaka University—the country’s premier educational institution—was "unacceptable" to the cricketing community.
"27 Years of Dreaming, Destroyed in a Second"
For Salahuddin, the political maneuvering is secondary to the human wreckage it left behind. He described a locker room filled with players whose lifelong ambitions were treated as political pawns.
According to the coach, the emotional toll was severe:
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Mental Paralysis: Salahuddin revealed that at least two players went "numb" for days, describing their state as a "mental coma" as they struggled to process the loss of their career-defining moment.
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The Weight of Ambition: "When a boy goes to play a World Cup, he carries his dream—his 27-year-old dream—with him. You destroy that dream in one second," he remarked.
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A Victory of Resilience: In what he describes as the "biggest success" of his coaching career, Salahuddin noted that his primary focus hasn't been tactical, but psychological—simply helping the players find the will to return to the field and score runs again.
The Communication Breakdown
The crux of the grievance lies not in the act of sacrifice, but in the lack of honesty. According to reports from Cricbuzz, players felt "helpless" as the government allegedly failed to solicit their views before finalizing the withdrawal. Salahuddin insisted that the players were ready to stand with the nation, provided they were treated with respect.
"Look, for the sake of the country, I'm also ready to sacrifice many things, and the boys are ready too. But did I put my hand on a boy's head and say, 'Son, you couldn't play because of this'?"
By failing to communicate the "national reasons" properly and instead shifting the blame onto the athletes themselves, Salahuddin argues that the leadership failed its most basic duty to the team.
As the BCB looks to move forward, the scars of this "U-turn" remain visible. For the players, the missed World Cup is a gap in their legacy that can never be filled.