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‘Many trolled me, but I stuck to my principles’
Despite lacking star power, particularly in the batting unit, Sylhet Division secured their maiden National Cricket League (NCL) title with a match to spare yesterday, beating Barishal Division by five wickets in their sixth-round match at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Head coach Rajin Saleh, who represented Sylhet for nearly 20 years but never won the NCL as a player, shared his thoughts on the achievement, the team’s journey and future plans in an interview with The Daily Star’s Samsul Arefin Khan. Excerpts from the interview are as follows:
The Daily Star (DS): Your feelings after this achievement.
Rajin Saleh (RS): Championship has always had a different taste. Many of us national players have played the NCL together for such a long time for Sylhet, but we couldn’t win the tournament. Today, Enamul Haque Jnr called me [after the title win] and said that we had tried for 20 years to secure the trophy but couldn’t achieve the feat.
DS: What differences do you see in this Sylhet team compared to the ones in your playing days?
RS: With all respect to the previous coaches, I think there was a lack of team bonding previously. For that reason, I feel that such results didn’t come to light… In the last three to four years, I worked really hard. Many people from Sylhet criticised me and trolled me because they often wanted their favourite players to get match opportunities, but I stuck to my principles and did what was best for the team in the selection of the playing eleven.
DS: You must’ve had specific plan for batting, which was an area of concern for Sylhet.
RS: If you do quality work, your result will be great… This year, some young players played for us. For example, I picked an 18-year-old player, Bishal, from the YCL [Youth Cricket League]. I tried to be tough with that player, who needed strong words. And for those who didn’t take pressure, I gave them full freedom. We focused on the process initially, which is very important in cricket.
DS: How do you manage senior players who refuse to leave their places?
RS: Those who are in the national team were really supportive throughout the season, possessing the mindset to play rotation-wise.
DS: Your plan for the upcoming NCL T20?
RS: For T20s, it will be a different tournament. There are many players in our squad who are yet to be mature enough to play such tournaments, especially our batters… [but] hopefully, we will fight for the championship there as well.
DS: Having operated as a coach with Bangladesh Cricket Board on a short-term basis, are you willing to work again?
RS: I don’t want to work for a short time anywhere. I was hired as a fielding coach in the national team for two series. But after one series, I was dropped. If such things happen in the future as well, neither can I teach them anything nor will I learn anything… I think it’s a matter of pride to work for the Bangladesh team. I played for the national team and also captained the side. If I get any good offer, I will consider it.