Fenomeno

Bangladesh is a fertile land—not just for rice fields and river deltas, but also for hype. Here, sporting narratives often blossom overnight, watered generously by fervent journalists and fanboys starved for local heroes. The latest crescendo rises around Salahuddin, a domestic coach whose name has been embroidered into public consciousness as if he were a messianic figure poised to rescue Bangladesh cricket from its perennial woes. It all began when a leading local daily, Prothom Alo, spun a charming tale: Shakib Al Hasan, Bangladesh’s mercurial talisman, found his lost form while performing in a cricket “circus”—credit, they claimed, due to the guiding hand of Salahuddin. In a nation ravenous for feel-good stories, the suggestion was intoxicating. Soon, a chorus emerged clamoring for Salahuddin to replace Chandika Hathurusingha or any other foreign coach at the helm of the national side, wrapping the debate snugly in the ever-potent flag of patriotism. But patriotic fervor, seductive...