Eyes on Gold, Says Salahuddin

Bangla Press Desk: Bangladesh men's Asian Games head coach Mohammad Salahuddin launched a determined bid to reclaim the Asian Games cricket gold when the team returns to action in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, later this month.

Litton Das and his side will leave for Aichi-Nagoya on 25 September, with head coach Mohammad Salahuddin insisting that nothing less than the title should be the team’s target.“An entire country is looking towards us and wants us to do well. Here, we have no option but becoming champions. We hope both the men’s and women’s teams will do well and return with a good result,” Salahuddin said at the Bangladesh Olympic Association (BOA) auditorium on Monday.

Bangladesh’s decision to field a full-strength squad has further raised expectations, and Salahuddin believes his side have a genuine chance of reaching the final.

“When we saw that other countries were sending their full national teams, why wouldn’t we? Considering the schedule we have, I think we have a very good opportunity to reach the final,” he said.

The cricket venue in Aichi-Nagoya will be unfamiliar territory for Bangladesh. However, Sri Lankan pitch curator Gamini Silva, who has prepared pitches and outfields in Bangladesh for many years, is part of the venue preparation team.

Salahuddin, though, refused to speculate about the pitch before seeing it himself.

“The weather varies from country to country. Ultimately, the nature of the wicket will depend on the weather conditions there,” he said.

Cricket has delivered Bangladesh’s only gold medal in Asian Games history, with Mohammad Ashraful’s side making history by winning the title at the 2010 Guangzhou Games. The men’s team, however, had to settle for bronze in 2014 and 2022.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a strong squad on 2 September, with Litton Das named captain and Towhid Hridoy vice-captain.

At the Asian Games, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will advance directly to the quarter-finals. Bangladesh will face the winners of Group B in the last eight on 29 September, with Hong Kong, Malaysia and Oman battling for the spot.

Tigers could face Pakistan in the semi-finals if both teams progress, setting up a potentially tough route to the final.