Hathurusingha must have a magic wand: Salahuddin 

Comilla Victorians head coach Mohammad Salahuddin, in his own sarcastic way, expressed his reservations about the reappointment of Bangladesh national team head coach Chandika Hathurusingha at a press conference on Saturday. The 53-year-old veteran coach said that the eagerness to bring the Sri Lankan coach back must mean that he possessed some sort of mystical powers.
 

Salahuddin has often been vocal about foreign coaches, highlighting the lack of trust that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) shows towards the local coaches. BCB has always leaned towards appointing overseas coaches for the national team. 

"I think the way we brought Hathurusingha, he must have a magic wand with him," Salahuddin quipped. 

Walking on the same line as he did many times previously, Salahuddin implied that the hype and lucrative salaries that the foreign coaches get would only be fitting if they live up to the expectations. 

"It has to be the case considering the manner in which we have forced someone back, someone who left all of a sudden. Certainly, he must have a magic wand. You can say it better, I don't know. But surely, everyone is hoping for very good results," he added. 

Asked if he would consider becoming an assistant coach to the shrewd Sri Lankan, Salahuddin suggested that a coach employed by the BCB would better fit the role as in such a case, that coach would be more attuned to the demands of the role. Salahuddin never worked with Hathurusingha before and he said that this would be a major factor if he were to even consider the possibility of taking on the role. To add to this, the Comilla coach said that his experience of working as a head coach would play a part as he would not want to adjust to the Sri Lankan's ways of doing things if they were not on the same wavelength.

"I think it would be better if someone who is employed by the board is picked (as the assistant coach) because they have been working with the board for a long time and with different coaches. They know better about Hathurusingha and can serve him the best. I basically don't know players of development and HP and if I want to work somewhere, I would have to have thorough knowledge about them and the coach (with whom I will be working).

"I have to consider whether I would be able to perform the role of an assistant coach and also would have to understand if I have the general ability to fulfil that role or not because assistant coaches have a lot to do. I feel that if someone who is employed by the board takes the role, then the best result would come out.

"I am not aware of Hathurusingha's mindset and don't know what type of a coach he is. I have to know about someone I would be working with because at this age I am not sure whether I have the mentality to adjust because for the last five to 10 years, I, myself, have been working as a head coach," said Salahuddin.