There will be freedom to work, says new chief selector Lipu

The newly-appointed chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu and selector Hannan Sarkar attended a media conference today and had to face some obvious questions in relation to how much freedom they will have in their roles.

It has often been said that national selectors in recent years did not always have the freedom in team selection with the board interfering in their decisions.

Asked about how much freedom the new selection panel would have, Lipu said, "There will be freedom, it was discussed with me. But I don't want to talk about the previous process. Since it's team selection, obviously captain and coach will be involved. The system that is in international cricket is the system we would like to follow."

When chief selector Faruque Ahmed resigned in 2016, it was because the BCB had made significant changes in the squad selection process. The three-member selection panel was expanded to include the then head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, cricket operations chairman Akram Khan and BCB director Khaled Mahmud.

The involvement of board members and the head coach was interference enough for Faruque.

Asked how Lipu and the rest would handle Hathurusingha, who is currently in Bangladesh for a second stint as head coach, he said, "The ball hasn't been delivered yet, so let the ball come and let me play the ball first."

He also felt that if there is not enough freedom to work, there is always the option to leave.

"I believe that without freedom there is no enjoyment in working. The path is always open to come and also to leave," Lipu, known for having a strong personality, said.