‘No option but to target becoming champions’: coach Salahuddin

Mohammad Salahuddin, the coach of the Bangladesh men’s cricket team for the forthcoming Asian Games 2026, believes his side is equipped with all the ingredients to compete for gold.

“Since we have come to play, we have no option but to target becoming champions,” Salahuddin told the press on Monday.

Cricket was first included in the Asian Games at Guangzhou in 2010, when Bangladesh won gold in the men's competition. The men's team later won bronze medals in 2014 and 2023. The women's team won silver in 2010 and 2014 before taking bronze in 2023.

Salahuddin identified adapting quickly to T20 cricket as the team's main challenge.

“We haven’t played T20s for quite some time. The big challenge will be how quickly we can adapt to T20 and how quickly we can bring back the rhythm,” he added.

A total of 10 teams will compete in the men's cricket tournament. Bangladesh will have direct entry into the quarterfinals due to their superior rankings and will play their last-eight match on September 28. Their opponent will be determined after the first phase.

A victory would send Bangladesh into the first semifinal, scheduled for on October 1.

Asked how much he knew about the wicket in Japan, Salahuddin replied, “I have no idea about the wicket, but I know who made it.”

Bangladesh’s former curator Gamini de Silva prepared the temporary cricket pitch at Ko Rogi Sports Park, the venue for the Asian Games cricket competition.

The Sri Lankan previously served as the chief curator of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur for nearly 15 years.

The Aichi-Nagoya venue will feature a hybrid pitch made from a combination of artificial and natural grass.

Asked whether Bangladesh could enjoy a home-like advantage because the familiar curator had prepared the wicket, Salahuddin said the weather and condition play important role in this regard.

“The weather of each country is different. The actual condition of the wicket will depend on the weather,”

Bangladesh is sending its national cricket teams to the Asian Games, with regular captain Litton Das set to lead the men's T20 side. The Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) has high hopes for cricket, with both the men's and women's teams targeting strong results.