Salahuddin warns Bangladesh against taking Malaysia lightly

Bangladesh coach Mohammad Salahuddin cautioned his players not to underestimate Malaysia despite strong build-up for the event. Bangladesh will open their Asian Games cricket campaign with a quarterfinal against Malaysia at Korogi Sports Park in Nagoya and are expected to get an easy ride. But Salahuddin said tournament conditions could produce unexpected results. 

"Upsets can happen in such tournaments. The same wicket is played on repeatedly, and the toss can sometimes be a factor," Salahuddin told reporters in Japan on Saturday. "Every match is very important. We shouldn't win in advance. We have to win by playing." While Malaysia had to play group phases to make them available into the knock-out stages, Bangladesh would play direct quarterfinal due to their superior ICC rankings. Bangladesh have spent around 10 days preparing at home and played two warm-up matches before travelling to Japan. 

The team has also drawn confidence from Bangladesh Under-23's recent whitewash of Malaysia in both a 50-over and a T20 series. Malaysia also gave Bangladesh a stern test in the quarterfinal of the 2022 Asian Games. Saif Hasan-led Bangladesh eventually won that match by two runs off the final ball. Bangladesh have sent a relatively strong squad this time, but Salahuddin said the team would focus only on the quarterfinal rather than looking ahead to the latter stages. 

Rain has already disrupted several events at this year's Asian Games. Should the quarterfinal be abandoned because of rain, Bangladesh would progress to the semifinals by virtue of their higher ranking. Salahuddin, however, said he would prefer the match to be played. "I will be very happy if the match is played," he said. 

"When you suddenly play a match after five or seven days without a game, especially in the semifinal or final, it can be very difficult. How we play the first match will determine how we think about the next one. We should think about the first match instead of thinking about the next one beforehand." Expectations are high on Bangladesh's men's cricket team, with the country having so far secured only a bronze medal in wushu at this year's Games. The women's cricket team has failed to secure any medal. 

Salahuddin said the players were conscious of the wider expectations surrounding their Asian Games campaign. "When we play a bilateral series, mainly people involved in cricket focus on us. But here, people across the country are looking forward to a medal from us," he said. "I think the boys have that motivation. We also know how important it is."