Salahuddin apologises to nation for Asiad failure

Bangladesh head coach Mohammad Salahuddin has apologised to the nation after the men’s cricket team returned from the Asian Games without a medal for the first time in the country’s history, while captain Litton Das has firmly ruled out stepping down.

Bangladesh travelled to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with hopes of reclaiming the gold medal, but their campaign ended in disappointment after defeats to Pakistan in the semi-final and Sri Lanka in the bronze-medal match.

Bangladesh suffered a six-wicket defeat to Pakistan in the rain-shortened 13-over semi-final before being hammered by 63 runs by Sri Lanka in the third-place play-off.

The result marked a historic low for Bangladesh, who had previously won gold in Guangzhou in 2010 under Mohammad Ashraful before claiming bronze at the 2014 Incheon and 2023 Hangzhou Games.

Litton did not hide his frustration after the defeat to Sri Lanka.

“It was very bad. We came here with a big target. When that was not achieved, we had another opportunity to win bronze. We missed that too. We did not play good cricket. It was very disappointing,” he said.

The captain, however, vowed to move forward and work towards better performances.

“As captain, it is natural to feel bad. Bangladesh cricket has given us a lot in the past, and I believe it will continue to do so in the future. We will try to work towards that,” he said.

Salahuddin accepted responsibility for the failure and apologised for falling short of the expectations raised before the Games.

“We are extremely embarrassed. As coach, I believe we have failed. We could not fulfill the expectations we had raised among the nation. It is very disappointing. We are ashamed and apologise to the entire nation,” he said.

Litton also acknowledged his own poor form, scoring just two against Pakistan before falling for a golden duck against Sri Lanka.

“My performance was not up to the mark. I could not perform well in either of the two matches,” he admitted.

Bangladesh have also lost seven of their 10 T20 internationals this year under Litton’s captaincy.

Asked whether he would resign, Litton initially responded jokingly: “Should I resign? Okay, I resign from the Asian Games. Next question, please.”

He later made his position clear: “I do not want to resign. Cricket has its ups and downs. One day you perform well, another day you do not. There is no reason to resign over this.”