BCB set to add coach Hathurusingha to selection panel

BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said that coach Chandika Hathurusingha is set to be made a selector to keep track of emerging players in domestic cricket. Hathurusingha, who is currently on a "number of days" contract, would be needed to closely monitor domestic cricket.

"I want coach to watch matches rather than sitting idle," Hassan said. "He will have a role to play. Someone or the other must watch each domestic match so that we know about the emerging cricketers. I don't want a situation where the coach doesn't know anything about a new player.

"Our contract with him is based on "number of days" but he is taking advantage of it. We got him whenever we wanted him, and it will happen in the future too."

On Monday, Hassan held discussions with the six-member technical committee on the proposals made by the working committee last week, including the expansion of the selection panel.

Hassan said that it was unanimously agreed that the national coach should be part of the selection committee and that a fourth selector should be added to the panel. He also said the board wanted to add the manager and cricket operations committee chairman to the panel. The chairman of the cricket operations committee is likely to head the panel.

"There may be one other selector included as well as the coach becoming a selector," Hassan said. "The technical committee agreed that the coach should be in the selection committee since it was like that in the past.

"I want to see our selectors go to Sylhet, Chittagong and Khulna to watch domestic matches. This is why I want four selectors instead of three."

Hassan explained that the cricket operations committee chairman would not be directly involved in selection. Instead, he would work as a witness to proceedings between the coach and selectors. Former Bangladesh captain Akram Khan is currently the cricket operations committee chairman.

"The cricket operations committee's chairman won't be directly involved with selection but he will be present when the selectors sit with the coach to pick the squad," Hassan said.

"The recommendation to include the manager hasn't come to me yet. But the selected squad has always come through the operations committee. The change now will be that before sending the final squad to me, the coach and selectors will be present when it is sent so that there's no disagreement between them after sending the team. Sometimes changes have to be made so that these things don't happen."

There had been instances of discord between the selection panel and team management in the last two years. In February 2014, the then captain Mushfiqur Rahim had criticised chief selector Faruque Ahmed for not consulting him before picking the Asia Cup squad.

Bangladesh's 2015 World Cup squad announcement was delayed by two hours because the board's higher-ups wanted to "discuss" the make-up of the squad with the selection committee. Three days later, coach Chandika Hathurusingha said that he wanted a legspinner, Jubair Hossain, in the World Cup squad.

After hearing the working committee's recommendations, Faruque had said that he was reluctant to continue if the board approved the proposed expansion of the selection committee.

Hassan, however, believed that that the new system would make the selection process smoother. He also acknowledged the contribution of the incumbent selectors - Faruque, Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar.

"If the selectors didn't do their job properly, Bangladesh wouldn't have performed so well," Hassan said. "There's a big contribution of the selection panel in Bangladesh's recent success. This is a step taken towards doing this work in a smoother manner."