Sports Desk

Sharmin Akhter Supta made a sensational comeback to the Bangladesh national women’s ODI team after a 16-month absence with a blistering 96-run knock in the first ODI against Ireland at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Wednesday.

Sharmin was initially dropped from the squad due to her low strike rate, which was around 46 in July 2023. However, on Wednesday, she silenced critics by scoring 96 runs off just 89 balls at a remarkable strike rate of 107.86. Her innings included 14 boundaries – the most by a Bangladeshi batter in Women’s ODIs.

Although she narrowly missed out on her maiden ODI century – falling just four runs short – Sharmin left everyone in awe of her remarkable transformation. Her performance also put her on the brink of becoming the fastest centurion in Bangladesh Women’s cricket history.

At the heart of her stunning turnaround was Mohammad Salahuddin, the go-to mentor for many Bangladeshi cricketers.

Sharmin has been working with Salahuddin since her early days and was quick to credit him for her improvement.

“Mohammad Salahuddin Sir helped me with my batting. He has been working with me for a long time. At times, you hesitate to change because you’ve been playing a certain way for years, but he changed my mindset about playing fearless cricket. He told me that facing hard times would lead to something better. Sir motivated me a lot,” Sharmin said after the first ODI.

Sharmin isn’t the only cricketer – male or female – to have benefited from Salahuddin’s expertise.

Take Shakib Al Hasan in 2019, for example.

The southpaw was struggling with his form and had been dropped from the Sunrisers Hyderabad playing XI during the IPL. With the all-important ODI World Cup just a few months away, Shakib turned to Salahuddin for individual training in India at his own expense.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Shakib delivered one of the finest performances of his career at the 2019 World Cup, amassing an astonishing 606 runs in just eight innings – the third-highest of the tournament. His campaign included two centuries and five half-centuries, cementing his place among the cricketing elite.

Salahuddin is currently in the West Indies, serving as the batting coach for the Bangladesh men’s cricket team during a period when his expertise is needed more than ever.

Bangladesh’s batting has been in a slump in recent series, and the first Test against the West Indies was no exception.

The team suffered a massive defeat by 201 runs, primarily due to batting failures in both innings.

This has become a recurring issue: the bowlers create opportunities, only for the batters to squander them with minimal or no resistance.

Several members of the current squad -Jaker Ali, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Mominul Haque, Mahmudul Hasan Joy, and Zakir Hasan – have been his direct students while most of the team members have trained under or sought his guidance during tough times in their careers.

At the international level, it’s often not about wholesale changes but minor adjustments – both technical and mental.

Sharmin’s transformation in 2024 and Shakib’s resurgence in 2019 are testaments to this approach. Their success underscores the importance of mental shifts and subtle refinements, which can make all the difference at the highest level.

Salahuddin can undoubtedly provide the guidance, technical insights, and mental adjustments needed to address the Bangladesh men’s team’s batting woes. His expertise has already worked wonders for individual players like Shakib Al Hasan and Sharmin Akhter Supta.

However, cricket is ultimately played on the field, and the responsibility for execution lies squarely with the players.

While Salahuddin can equip them with the tools and strategies to succeed, it is the players who must embrace these changes and deliver under pressure.

A coach can inspire and prepare, but the grit, focus, and determination to perform must come from within the team.