Bangladesh's senior assistant coach, Mohammad Salahuddin, believes the national team has made significant progress in T20 cricket, something they had set as a goal.
Once considered vulnerable in the shortest format of the game, Bangladesh ended 2025 with a record 15 T20 wins-the most they've ever achieved in a single year-out of 30 matches. They lost 14, with one match being washed out. Additionally, they won five series, including four series victories on the trot, further solidifying their credentials in T20 cricket.
Speaking to reporters in Mirpur, Salahuddin expressed confidence that the team's recent performances would boost their chances in the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
"We have made noticeable progress in T20s. We set a standard for ourselves, and we've come very close to achieving it. I wouldn't say we've accomplished everything, but most of our success this year has come in T20 cricket," said Salahuddin.
He added, "We played a lot of T20 series, one after another, which helped us improve. We have a clear plan leading up to the World Cup. There's still room for improvement, but we've got the results we were hoping for."
Salahuddin emphasized that a major takeaway from 2025 was the players' growing understanding of how to play T20 cricket effectively.
"The most important thing is that the players now have a clear understanding of the game. They know how they should play. It was a big takeaway from this year," he revealed.
"The batters played according to their roles. While there were times when they didn't execute, everyone now understands their job."
In 2025, Bangladesh also played six Test matches, winning three, losing two, and drawing one. Salahuddin considered this a fair result, noting that their Test side has some experienced players. However, in ODIs, the team played 11 matches but only managed three wins, suffering eight defeats.
"While our Test side is improving, the results are coming slowly, but I believe we're making progress," he said.
"In ODIs, we don't play series regularly anymore, which is affecting our results. Also, the four or five players who used to carry the team in ODIs haven't played much in recent years. To fill that gap, we need more time."
