'Faruque can leave if he wants'

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon came down hard on BCB chief selector Faruque Ahmed on Mondayfor the comments that the latter made to the media regarding his resignation from the national selection panel.

Speaking to a number of media outlets on Sunday, Faruque said that he will not be a part of the new selection committee.

On Sunday, the BCB revealed its new selection committee, which includes the three national selectors, the head coach and the manager of the national team and the chairman of the BCB’s cricket operations committee.

With the head coach and the manager getting an official say in the selection process, the new system has deviated from its past.

As per the latest process, the three national selectors will select the squad. However, they will have to keep in mind the strategies provided by the head coach. And the end of it all, the signatures of every member of the national selection committee -- including the head coach and the manager, as opposed to just the selectors and the chairman of the cricket operations committee -- will be required in order to send the team to the BCB president for approval.

Faruque however felt that the system would curtail the freedom of the national selectors and therefore said that he will submit his resignation once he returns to the country from the United States.

Papon criticised Faruque and indicated that the new system was already being followed unofficially and that there was no major difference in it.

“I still have not received any phone call from Faruque regarding his resignation. But I don’t understand what difference he has found here. This is how our selection process has always worked.

“Ask him if there was a single instance when the team that he submitted wasn’t changed. Ask him of the number of times when I had to sit with them before a match in order to confirm a team,” said Papon.

“We have always been following this process and also we have been getting results. So why should I move away from it? There is absolutely nothing new here,” he added.

When asked if the BCB would negotiate with Faruque with regards to his decision to resign, Papon’s reply was a stern no.

“If he resigns, then someone else will come. It’s impossible to negotiate. Did we ever have a better pace bowling coach than Heath Streak? No. But he left and there were no negotiations. There is no scope for this.

“I really like Faruque. If you ask me whether the BCB respects him or not, then let me just tell you that initially, the new policy didn’t have a chief selector. But we changed that provision and included the chief selector’s role for him,” said Papon.

“If he has problems despite that, then he should leave. There is no need to create any confusion or problems here,” he added.

When asked for the reason behind the exclusion of Habibul Bashar from the national selection committee, Papon said: “If Faruque goes then we might rethink his position. It’s not final as yet.”