'We are not too worried' - Salahuddin unfazed by accommodation concerns ahead of Asian Games

Bangladesh head coach Mohammad Salahuddin has dismissed concerns over accommodation and facility arrangements for the men's cricket team at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and Aichi. The Pakistan Cricket Board and Board of Control for Cricket in India had raised concerns over cricket venue and arrangements, with reports indicating that dressing rooms at the venue are set up in tents and washrooms are located around 500 metres away. Hotel accommodation concerns also emerged, with rooms allocated to some players reported to be too small to comfortably accommodate cricketers with kitbags and luggage.

Salahuddin addressed these issues in comments made on Saturday, September 12, 2026. Cricket athletes are placed in hotels in Nagoya while the competition venue is Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, outside central Nagoya. The Japan Cricket Association CEO stated that participating cricket teams were offered hotel accommodation, with other sports accommodated in cruise ships or container hotels.

“I don’t have any concerns about the accommodation. We will get whatever other athletes from the Games and village are getting. We are not thinking that as cricketers we need to stay separately - we think of ourselves as athletes. Whatever facilities other athletes get we will get the same. They won’t leave us anywhere on the streets and there will be accommodation and food so we are not too worried about this,” said Salahuddin as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Bangladesh will begin preparation at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday, September 13, 2026. Salahuddin noted that several Bangladesh A team players are currently in South Africa and the squad faces hectic tours ahead. The head coach emphasised the importance of mental preparation and format adaptation.

"We will start our preparation tomorrow. Quite a few boys are in South Africa and we have many hectic tours lined up ahead of us so we have to keep an eye on their overall fitness," Salahuddin said.

"We also need to take care of their mindset. Since we played in a different format before this, we will focus on adapting to this format as quickly as possible. Rather than thinking about the accommodation, my main concern is on how the boys can play well in the tournament and how quickly we can adapt because it's a knockout competition," he added.

Salahuddin stressed the unpredictable nature of T20 cricket and the challenge posed by associate member teams.

"This is a knockout tournament, and T20 is always anyone's game. Even the other teams cannot be taken lightly - I believe the Associate Members mostly play this format, so they actually have some advantage here because we often have to adapt between formats. That's why in the T20 format, you can't take anyone lightly, you have to play every match seriously, and you have to play to win every match," Salahuddin said.

"When you play cricket, you have to play on different wickets at different times and so expecting a good wicket every time isn't right. If it's a 120 kind of wicket we have to play accordingly and if it's a 200-run kind of wicket we have to work on it," he added.

Bangladesh won gold in men's cricket at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, which remains the only gold medal Bangladesh has won at the Asian Games across all sports. The women's cricket team won silver at the same Games. Salahuddin highlighted the significance of the tournament for Bangladesh.

"The women's cricket team won a silver and maybe one or two silvers in kabaddi. Other than that, we don't have major achievements. A large contingent is travelling from Bangladesh but there are very few events where we can actually win a medal and that's why we are very serious about cricket and we want Bangladesh to win gold," Salahuddin concluded.