New selection formula in the works

The working committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has proposed a complete revamp of the national selection panel after a meeting yesterday.

As per the recommendation, the new selection panel will consist of four selectors, the national team's head coach and manager, apart from the chairman of the cricket operations committee. The decision on whether this proposal is to be adopted will be taken at BCB's next board meeting, due to take place within a week.

The three incumbent selectors Faruque Ahmed, Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar are most likely to get a new contract and one more selector, most likely from the current age-group panel, will join them.

“The current selection panel's contract has already expired and that is why the board asked us to give a recommendation regarding the new panel. We realised that there were some problems in understanding and there was a communication gap between the national team management and the selectors,” said Enayet Hossain Siraj, chairman of the working committee.

“We have proposed a new structure to bring harmony. As the team management ultimately picks the playing 11, they must also have their say in selecting the main team,” he added after yesterday's working committee meeting at a restaurant in Gulshan.

“Basically, the selectors will pick the team but the head coach and the manager will give their input, while as the head of the panel, the cricket operations chairman will conduct all the planning and provide guidelines to the selectors about how to do their duty and how to scout new talent,” informed Jalal Yunus, a working committee member.

“The coach and manager being part of the selection panel is nothing new as England and Australia are already doing that. We felt that it will help to avoid the existing discord between the selectors and the team management. Our main objective is to ensure a coordinated effort in the selection procedure. We proposed a one-year contract to see whether the new structure is effective or not,” continued Yunus.

According to sources close to the developments, age-group selector Sajjad Ahmed is most likely to join the senior panel while the name of former national batsman Hannan Sarker was also discussed.

The working committee talked about the much-discussed issue of forming a bowling review committee to deal with illegal bowling actions in domestic cricket.

“You see, already a lot of complaints about illegal bowling actions in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League came from the umpires. We have proposed a committee comprising five to seven members with former pace bowlers, spin bowlers, coaches and a computer analyst,” informed Siraj.

BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus is most likely to head the committee.

Siraj also informed that they have discussed a proposal from International Cricket Council (ICC) which suggested a two-tier Test competition. “It's just a proposal from ICC where they are seeking opinions from the member countries. It suggests a top tier with the top seven Test nations and a lower tier with the bottom three and the two top Associate member nations. The top team from the lower tier will qualify to the top tier and the bottom team from the top tier will be demoted to the lower tier every two years.”

Bangladesh will be keen to end the year on a high after their most successful stretch in international cricket. AFP file photo