Bangladesh need to focus on Tests - BCB president

Nazmul Hassan, the new Bangladesh Cricket Board president, has identified improvement in national team's Test performance and spreading the game better in the country as the challenges for Bangladesh cricket. Hassan was appointed as the replacement to AHM Mustafa Kamal who was confirmed the vice president of the ICC, ending his three-year tenure as the BCB president.

"We are weak in the longer version of the game. We are good in the shorter formats," Hassan said. "We have to focus on how we can do better in the longer version. We have to further popularise the game in the country and bring out cricketers from remote areas. This is going to be my biggest challenge."

Hassan, however, said that the onus of the improvement in the performance would lie with the players and the board will do its best to facilitate the change.

"We win some and we lose some but it [Test cricket performance] has nothing to do with the success or shortcomings of the board president," he said.

Hassan was selected according to the existing constitution, which states that the board president will be a government nominee. The board has submitted its amended constitution to the National Sports Council (NSC) for approval and one of the major amendments is that the president will be elected and not picked by the government. NSC, the sports regulatory body is yet to pass the amendment.

Hassan has said he is in favour of allowing the cricketers to become automatic councilors of the cricket board. He also said he prefers an election would be a better way to become the BCB president.

"I am always in favour of elections, it is better than being appointed. The person who is deemed fit by the people should be president.

"Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh will participate in the BCB elections. If you ask me if cricketers should be part of the cricket board, I would say they should have more voting rights."