Mohammed Salahuddin, the head coach of Comilla Victorians, voiced strong disapproval of the national team’s selection strategy in a press conference held on Wednesday.
Bangladesh unveiled their T20I squad, which raised eyebrows due to its inclusion of five openers and only two middle-order batsmen. Salahuddin highlighted the remarkable performance of Tawhid Hridoy, who scored an unbeaten 91 and forged an unbeaten 84-run partnership with Jaker Ali, underscoring Jaker’s contribution with an unbeaten 40.
Jaker often goes unnoticed, perhaps due to superficial biases. Despite this, he has consistently delivered crucial runs and demonstrated a sensible approach at the crease. It’s imperative that players like him are afforded the opportunity to prove themselves,
remarked Salahuddin.
Pointing out the imbalance in the squad, Salahuddin questioned the wisdom behind such a lopsided composition, especially given recent tournaments like the Emerging Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, where an excess of openers left little room for middle-order specialists.
With five openers in the mix, the team’s batting lineup lacks depth and versatility. This not only compromises the effectiveness of our middle-order but also places undue pressure on players unaccustomed to batting in those positions,
Salahuddin asserted.
He criticized the selection criteria, suggesting that it overly prioritizes statistical performance without considering a player’s adaptability and situational awareness.
Selecting a team solely based on numerical achievements fails to account for the dynamic nature of cricket. A player batting at number five may not always post big scores, but their ability to influence match outcomes goes beyond mere statistics,
he emphasized.
Salahuddin’s critique resonated with a call for a more nuanced approach to team selection, one that values strategic fit over raw statistical data.
