Asian Games: Bangladesh cricket coach downplays accommodation concerns
What's the story
Mohammad Salahuddin, the head coach of Bangladesh's men's cricket team for the 2026 Asian Games, has downplayed concerns over accommodation. He said that the team is ready to adapt to everything. This comes after reports raised questions about the quality and readiness of cricket facilities for the upcoming Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games in Japan.
Coach's statement
We will get whatever other athletes are getting: Salahuddin
Salahuddin, a former senior assistant coach of the national team and now head of the BCB High-Performance Unit, said he has no concerns about accommodation.
"We will get whatever other athletes from the Games and village are getting," he told Cricbuzz.
"We are not thinking that as cricketers we need to stay separately, we think of ourselves as athletes."
Preparation focus
Need to adapt quickly in Japan, says Salahuddin
Salahuddin stressed the need for his team to adapt quickly in Japan, given the knockout nature of the competition.
"We will start our preparation tomorrow [September 13]. Quite a few boys are in South Africa [with the Bangladesh A team], and we have many hectic tours lined up ahead of us so we have to keep an eye on their overall fitness," he added.
Mental preparation
Mental preparation also key for Bangladesh, feels Salahuddin
Salahuddin also highlighted the importance of mental preparation for his players.
He said, "We also need to take care of their mindset. Since we played in a different format before this, we will focus on adapting to this format as quickly as possible."
The coach stressed that his main concern is how well the team can perform in the tournament and adapt quickly due to its knockout nature.
Wicket conditions
On nature of wickets in Japan
Salahuddin also addressed concerns about the nature of wickets in Japan.
He said, "When you play cricket, you have to play on different wickets at different times and so expecting a good wicket every time isn't right."
The coach stressed that if it's a 120 kind of wicket, they have to play accordingly and if it's a 200-run kind of wicket, they have to work on it.