“I personally don’t think anyone is ready to be the head coach of the national team right now. I also said that there are three or four people in Bangladesh who are ready to become assistant coaches. – This comment of the former captain of the national team Tamim Iqbal about the local coach is now the talk of the town.
Tamim’s comments created a stir when demands were being raised to appoint local coaches instead of foreign coaches in the national team. Some are giving opinions for and against. Local coach Mohammad Salahuddin fully agrees with Tamim’s comments. Tamim A-O said, ‘I think there are two or three people in Bangladesh who are very qualified to be assistant coaches. I am sure if they work for one or two years, three years then they will be eligible to become the head coach of the national team.’
Salahuddin also thinks that they should be made by appointing local coaches as assistant coaches. In an interview given to the official broadcaster during the Bangladesh-India second T20I, Salahuddin said, ‘I think Tamim has said absolutely the right thing. We never think about him who is the first to enter the national team, he has come completely prepared.’
“I think there are many players who have taken maybe 5-7 years to play international cricket, to establish themselves in international cricket. If it takes 5-7 years for cricketers then coaches will also need that time. You have been pulling many boys for 5-7 years. At some point he will run. Now the coach can go and be good at some point. He has to give that time.’- Salahuddin added.
Salahuddin said that coaches should be evaluated equally with cricketers and given good remuneration, ‘We are more interested in BPL. Are you interested in first-class cricket? I also have a question for them that how many current cricketers of the national team go to play first class cricket. Remains of mind? There must be a reason. No one remembers. Surely there is a reason behind it.’
‘There is an economic issue. Earlier, if an assistant coach worked for a year, he would get Rs 30,000. You tell me that if a person works in a place and earns 50,000 rupees, he will actually earn 30,000 rupees here. Why would a coach work on a four-day competition? 30,000 will be earned by working for a month and a half. Now it seems that it has become 1 lakh.’
‘My argument is, I will go to work in first-class cricket for two and two-and-a-half months. Why should I go to a place that does not benefit me? If I have no profit. I thought that I will give service to the country’s cricket. But the stomach has to run. A player gets 80 or 60 thousand taka if he plays a first class match. And a coach earns like 1 lakh rupees for working the whole season. A player gets close to 1 lakh rupees for playing a match and a coach gets 1 lakh rupees for working for two months.’
Salahuddin said to give opportunities to work in age-based teams to prepare coaches, ‘You cannot sit and judge something. Those who play in the national team play under foreign coaches. Have you ever seen how the local coaches operate? Where did you give him responsibility? In youth cricket, in this team or anywhere else.’
‘He saw how he was running the team. Or whether he has that capability. That is a big factor. He has to be developed. Those who are coming to the national team have played for a few years in the “A” team, the youth team. He made everything in the national team. Have you ever made your coach look like this? The coach was never made. The coach should also be established in this way.’- Salahuddin added.
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