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The Bangladesh Cricket Board has been keen on appointing a local as assistant coach to the head coach, especially after bringing back Chandika Hathurusingha for his second term. However, that didn't materialize entirely, with Nick Pothas being Hathurusingha's assistant until he left.

With the recent political changes in the country filtering down to the cricket board, the name of Mohammad Salahuddin has emerged as a popular candidate for the post of head coach.

The exit of Hathurusingha paved the way for the interim appointment of Phil Simmons as head coach, the BCB is considering Salahuddin as assistant coach and reports suggest the vastly experienced coach might be open to the idea.

Salahuddin was present as the guest lecturer at a BCB coaching program at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.

The coach, who has won four BPL titles with Comilla Victorians, told the media that discussions with the BCB are going on and that he is interested in becoming the assistant coach of the national team.

“I’ve previously explained why things didn’t work out. Discussions are happening now, and we’ll see what happens. It’s not that I don’t want the role; I do. But it’s important to understand that I’m not employed by the board. For the last 10 or 15 years, I haven’t been under any contract with them,” Salahuddin stated.

Salahuddin, who served as Bangladesh’s assistant coach from 2006 to 2008 and as fielding coach until 2010, has not worked with the board in over a decade due to not being under contract. Instead, he has coached various franchises and clubs in the BPL and Dhaka Premier League (DPL) and is currently working with Masco Cricket Academy. He explained that leaving all these commitments suddenly isn’t feasible.

“Over the last 15 years, I’ve earned my livelihood from outside organizations. I can’t just leave everything overnight. If I were a board-employed coach, I could step in whenever called. But in this situation, I have to consider many factors because these organizations have supported me all these years. I can't abandon them suddenly. It's all about timing and thoughtful decisions. If everything aligns, it will be good for everyone,” he added.