Hassan breaks his silence
Rumours had been bubbling that ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was unlikely to feature in Bangladesh's tour to New Zealand series and, following a board meeting yesterday, the southpaw was first thing on the BCB president Nazmul Hassan's agenda.
"He hasn't said anything officially but he did inform us [about not going to New Zealand]. I told him to present his case officially and then I would look into it. Let's see what his explanation is," Hassan commented.
Interestingly, around the same time that the BCB president was giving his press conference, the BCB announced a squad for the New Zealand series with Shakib included.
The issue of Russell Domingo's continuation had also been a burning issue from well before the T20 World Cup. Home series wins over Australia and New Zealand had quelled some of the fire but media reports pointed to a lack of trust in Domingo, especially from the players, following the World Cup.
Some sources claimed the players were not particularly willing to follow his guidance. However, Domingo has recently been handed a contract extension, making his fate murkier. On that topic, the BCB president's comments were more opaque, with even the tenure of the extension not being divulged.
"Before the World Cup, he wrote to us saying that he had a good offer on the table and wanted to go. He wanted to know whether we would extend his contract because he didn't want to take a risk in case we did not extend. We were looking but saw that we couldn't manage a coach. Even if we did manage, we doubtful of bringing in a new coach ahead of the World Cup. The coaches we had looked at were engaged till the 2022 World Cup."
"We took those matters into account and handed him an extension. If you ask me right now, our thinking is the same as it was previously. We are still waiting for the World Cup report," he said.
The BCB president's comments on the World Cup report, due at the end of November, suggested that BCB were in murky waters regarding the World Cup debacle, mostly because the investigation was perhaps not going to return a result.
"We formed an investigative committee consisting of Jalal [Younus] bhai and [Enayet Husain] Siraj bhai and they are to submit the report soon. I have talked to Jalal bhai informally but the reality is that nothing significant has been found yet. I am not surprised because I know that such matters can't be unearthed easily," he said, adding that players had not complained regarding coach.
"I understand that players can't just say everything or say something after being asked just once," he reflected, adding that he would make attempts to personally understand the lack of trust around the team.
"This investigation is not enough. I think I should do interviews too. I want to talk to some seniors and junior players one-on-one. I want to sit with someone like Mahmudullah [Riyad], since he won't go to New Zealand, shortly after they submit the report."
As things stand, it was clear that decisions on any change in coaching panel, selection panel and the distrust in the team's environment will come after January. The BCB president explained the situation perfectly when he said: "Everyone can go through bad times but the times for BCB are a bit too bad".