Habibul unsure about applying for post of national selection panel head

Habibul Bashar, front runner to replace Gazi Ashraf Hossain as the new head of national selection panel, said on Sunday that he is unsure about applying for the post as the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided to advertise for the selection panel position for the first time in their history.

Ashraf decided to step down following his two-year tenure and it was expected that Habibul will take over the role. However, the BCB decided to advertise for two posts of the national selection panel and asked interested candidates to send their CV by March 8.

Habibul served as a selector for eight years under chief selectors Faruque Ahmed and Minhajul Abedin. This tenure ended when the panel was restructured in February 2024, The former captain is now apparently unsure about sending his CV as he is currently working with the BCB game development.

"I am not sure (whether I will send my CV or not)," Bashar told Cricbuzz. "I am currently working with BCB so in that case why do I have to apply is something I need to understand before taking a final call in this regard," he added.

Nazmul Abedin, BCB cricket operation chairman, told this website that they have decided to advertise for the post unlike the past as it will help them to be fair as far picking the selectors are concerned. "The reason is that, apart from those we have in mind, there may be others who are qualified and who deserve an opportunity. We want to judge whether they have the ability. That makes the whole process a bit fairer," said Nazmul.

"Ultimately, we will take those whom we consider the most qualified. But here there will be more than one opportunity, and if someone can prove that, yes, I am also eligible, that is one aspect. Another thing is that we may take two people this time but we will also come to know who else is in our system and who are interested," he said.

"In the future, we will need more selectors. If we think regionally, or at age-group level, or for the women's side, we will need more selectors," he said.

"That (former national captain) will definitely be a preference (for head of selection panel) but considering everything together - whoever has that leadership quality, that experience, that knowledge - definitely he will be preferred," said Nazmul.

"But a captain usually has those qualities, which is why he becomes captain, so there will certainly be a preference, We have Shanto (Hasibul Hossain) and once Lipu leaves, there will be one remaining, and then two more will be added," he said.

Recently, BCB extended Ashraf's tenure by one month in order to find a suitable replacement.