The two-hour delay prior to the announcement of the 15-man Bangladesh squad for the 2015 ICC World Cup last Sunday raised quite a few eyebrows. The confusion arose because the Bangladesh Cricket Board earlier said in a press release that the final World Cup squad would be named at 1pm. However, cricket’s regulatory body in the country revealed the squad at around 3pm.
BCB president Nazmul Hasan declared the Bangladesh squad although it is primarily the chief selector’s responsibility. The BCB supremo reasoned the last-minute discussions among himself, the three-man national selection panel and a few board directors behind the delay.
“The squad was already ready and I thought I will only need to announce it today (Sunday). But, when I found out that the coach, selectors and several directors were present, we thought of discussing amongst us before announcing the squad,” said Nazmul in his introductory speech in Mirpur last Sunday.
The BCB boss have always asserted that there is zero intervention in the selection process and last Sunday is no exception. However, Nazmul’s statement in the press conference gave birth to some confusions.
Nazmul explained the issue saying, “From what I have seen since coming (to BCB as the president), the selection committee prepares a list and gives it to us. The president gives the final decision.
“We take the final decision after a discussion and it is not that my choice always goes through. You can inquire whether we speak to the directors, coach and captain. But, I want to discuss with as many people as possible which makes my decision-making easier.”
Chief selector Faruk Ahmed shared the podium with Nazmul during the press conference. When asked if the national selection panel encounters any pressure from the board, Faruk said, “This depends on how you see it. The selectors pick a squad after which the president takes his final decision. But, there are also times when we are thrown with suggestions. After that there might be some changes in the selection.”
Questions started to surface regarding the World Cup squad due to an unfortunate episode two years ago. The then chief selector Akram Khan, now a director, had resigned back then citing interference from former BCB president AHM Mostafa Kamal. Akram’s resignation came a day after Kamal rejected the selection of high-profile opening batsman Tamim Iqbal in the 14-man squad for the 2012 Asia Cup.
