I’m surprised Salahuddin is not the head coach of Bangladesh: Moeen

England all-rounder Moeen Ali heaped praise on his Comilla Victorians head coach Mohammad Salahuddin and said he is "surprised" that the latter is not part of Bangladesh's coaching staff.

A former assistant coach of the Bangladesh cricket team, Salahuddin is the mentor to many star players including Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) never had a local coach at the helm permanently but many, including Moeen, believe Salahuddin is more than capable of doing the job.

"I'm telling you now, Salahuddin is one of the best coaches I've worked with," Moeen told reporters in Chattogram. "He's definitely the best in Bangladesh. That's my own opinion. I'm surprised he's not the head coach of Bangladesh. I don't know if he's ever been the national team coach or if there are different reasons behind him not being the head coach there. But he's definitely one of the top five coaches I've ever worked with."

Moeen is part of a star-studded Comilla side that has his England teammate Will Jacks. T20 superstars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine have already landed in Bangladesh to play for the side. Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan has completed his stint while Matthew Forde has returned after the international break.

"This year the BPL is more different. More players are coming in and some very good overseas players and that's how you get stronger as a team. Bangladesh is a nice and easy place to stay. The hotels are very good and we are very well looked after. The more high profile players you can bring, the better it will be," Moeen said.