Can Lipu’s committee overcome the invisible hand?

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sprung a surprise by naming Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu as the new chief selector of the men's national team for the next two years after yesterday's board meeting.

There are no questions regarding the former national team captain's cricketing acumen, and he has been a prominent face in the country's cricket fraternity for decades.

But his not being a current director on the board and not being part of the selection panel in past made him a surprise choice for the post.

Still, as is with every change, the country's cricket fans are hoping that Lipu will help direct Bangladesh cricket in a fresh new direction after the disappointment in last year's ODI World Cup and the internal problems in the team which have become public knowledge.

But in order to make a positive impact, Lipu and his selection panel which consists of new face Hannan Sarkar and member of the previous panel Abdur Razzak will have to overcome the same invisible problem that plagued his predecessor Minhajul Abedin Nannu and his committee.

For years, there have been murmurs about the selection panel not having complete freedom to choose the players that they want.

Other than disagreements with the coach and captain, which is common in every cricketing country, the selection committee has apparently often had to accommodate the preferences of the high-ups of the board.

Even though Minhajul, who was the chief selector from 2016, never directly spoke about the external influence, the rumours refused to die down.

Another interesting aspect of Lipu's tenure, which will begin in March, will be how his partnership with current national team head coach Chandika Hathurusingha will develop.

Hathurusingha is known for being headstrong and unrelenting about his preferences. And constant butting of heads between the coach and chief selector could bring about poor results.

But if Lipu and Hathurusingha see eye to eye, it could also bring about positive changes for the team, much like the partnership between former chief selector Faruk Ahmed and former coach Dav Whatmore did leading up to the 2007 World Cup.

Emboldened by Whatmore, Faruk's committee took the gutsy decision of picking youngsters like Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim in the World Cup squad. This decision resulted in Bangladesh making it to the second round of the tournament for the first time and that trio have been serving the team for over 17 years.

Lipu will also need to sit with new captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and understand his vision for the national team.

With Lipu as chief selector and Shanto as captain, a new chapter in Bangladesh cricket is about to begin with the country's passionate cricket fans eagerly looking on to see what this new partnership will bring.