Bangladesh cricket - Akram Khan, Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin are the new selectors

The burly Akram Khan will lead a three-man selection committee that includes Habibul Bashar and Minhajul Abedin, both of whom are also former national captains.

Being a selector in the subcontinent is a thankless job. No matter what the combination, criticism is there for the asking.

But still a selector has to moves on, still they has to perform their job. The last selection committee of Rafiqul Alam did a fair job despite having to deal with the interference of the BCB bosses which hampered their work.

The new selection committee is high profile. Akram Khan led Bangladesh to victory in the historical win in the ICC Trophy in 1997, while Habibul Bashar led Bangladesh in the 2007 World Cup, where they pulled off surprise wins against South Africa and India. Minhajul Abedin, who was a part of the playing XI in Bangladesh's first official ODI in the '80s, retired after the 1999 World Cup where he averaged 70.00 with two half-centuries - including one against Australia - in four innings.

The new selectors have weight. They have the experience, the taste of success and know the pros and cons of Bangladesh cricket. There is a risk of ego fights if the board tries to interfere in their work. The three members of the new selection are ex-cricketers of proven class in the history of Bangladesh cricket.

For the greater part of the 80's and 90's, Akram Khan and Abedin were an integral part of Bangladesh cricket and they have seen Bangladesh cricket grow. Both of them know the domestic structure and have the knowledge and the eye to pick up talent from the grass-root level. It will be easier for them to pick the right talent and then utilize them in the right way.

If Akram and Abedin saw the growth of Bangladesh cricket, then Habibul Bashar has seen the success of Bangladesh cricket. In a sense, Bashar was instrumental in starting the winning habit in Bangladesh. Under him the team gelled as a unit and started believing in themselves. Dav Whatmore and Bashar were a lethal combination, who engineered some astonishing success between 2004 and 2007. Bashar has that charismatic touch to give the selection committee a new dimension.

The new selection committee is a good, but my fear is that the BCB will interfere with the job of the selectors. Jamie Siddons was right in accusing Bangladesh of being infected by petty politics.

Cricket is the pride of Bangladesh and the tendency to mix politics will be disastrous. The nation’s politicians, both the ruling and opposition party, have destroyed many assets with their bloody mindedness and now their craziness is after our greatest asset, cricket. The board chiefs aren’t selected on merit but according to which party they support.

I would like to see this selection committee working closely with the captain and coach before selecting a team. Being ex-cricketers, all members of the selection committee know that it’s the coach and the captain who will have to deal with the players on the field.

Note: This article has been published in Cricket Country as a fan post on 30/04/2011 http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-fan/posts/Akram-Khan-Habibul-Bashar-and-Minhajul-Abedin-are-the-new-selectors-/post-1184/comments/page/1

Thank You

Faisal Caesar