Bangladesh Cricket

Papon reveals new selection structure

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) seems to have finally resolved all the issues that it had with regards to its national selection structure. There were several approaches that were spoken of by various BCB directors in the last few days, one of them almost compelling chief selector Faruque Ahmed to resign. 

However, following a meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday, BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon said that the board would follow a selection system that would involve two separate groups.

The BCB will form a selection committee that will include the three national selectors, the head coach and the team manager. The meetings of this committee will be convened by the head of the cricket operations committee.

This essentially means that the committee will include selectors Faruque, Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin, coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Khaled Mahmud. The meetings will be convened by director Akram Khan.

The job of this committee will be to guide the three selectors, or in other words the national selection panel.

“Before every series, the selection committee will have a meeting. In that meeting the coach will provide the national selectors with a strategy. For instance, he may want more spinners or more pacers for a particular opposition. The selectors will then take the coach's requirements into consideration and then form a squad. The team manager has been included here so that he can voice the opinions of the captain and the players,” said Papon.

“Once the selection panel, or the selectors form their squad, the selection committee will once again have a meeting. Only when all the members of the selection committee agree to the squad, it will be sent to the BCB president for a final approval. In this way, there is no chance for any disagreement between the selectors and the team management,” he added.

As per the current system, the three-member selection panel has the final say with regards to the squad. While they did have meetings with the coach and did take his advice, Hathurusingha did not have an official say in the selection system. As a result, there were quite a few disagreements reported between the selectors and the coach in the past because of which the president of the BCB had to interfere.

In order to avoid this problem, the board has decided on creating a new selection system.

The BCB president further said that it would not be compulsory for the coach or the manager to observe players in the different domestic circuits. That duty, according to Papon, will rest solely on the three selectors.

“If the coach wants to watch a player or if he wants to watch a game, he is more than welcome to. But it's not compulsory for him to go out and look for players. His main duty in the committee will be to present the selectors with a strategy,” said Papon.

With discussions regarding the strategy of the selection policy done, it is expected to be made official in the upcoming board meeting. 

BCB CONTACTS AAQIB JAVED

Papon also said that the BCB has contacted former Pakistan national bowling coach Aaqib Javed to take a similar role with the Tigers. “We will get to know a decision from him in a day or two. It may be a yes or a no. Aside from him we have also made an alternative list of coaches. We are also looking for spin coaches,” he added.

'MUSTAFIZUR NEEDS REST'

Furthermore, Papon also spoke about the need for Mustafizur Rahman to rest and recover. When asked if the board will allow Mustafizur to play for Sussex in the T20 Blast, he said: “If Mustafizur plays, it will be really good for him. But we won't compromise his fitness. As per the reports we have received, his physical condition is not that good and we won't take any risk.

“He is resting now and will return to Dhaka after a few days for another evaluation. He will go through a programme after that. But if we find that he is fit enough, he may go to play.”

UMPIRING CONCERNS

The BCB president also said that he was aware of the complaints that were raised with regards to the poor umpiring in the Dhaka Premier League and that the board would take stern actions in order to prevent any 'unfair' practice in the domestic circuit.

INDIA TOUR

With regards to Bangladesh's tour of India this year, which seems to be on jittery grounds, Papon said: “Our CEO sent them an official letter in order to know the status of the one-Test tour that is scheduled to take place this year. I am sure we will get to know an answer within the next few days.”

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