BCB adds Hasibul, Salma to selection panel

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday appointed former national pacer Hasibul Hossain Shanto as a men's team selector and also named former women's skipper Salma Khatun as a women's selector.

Shanto, who previously worked in various capacities at the BCB after his playing career, will join as the third selector in the current selection panel led by Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu and Abdur Razzak.

The position of the third selector became vacant in February after Hannan Sarkar stepped down from his role to focus on his coaching career.

"Hasibul Hossain Shanto has been selected to fill the vacant position in the selection panel. From now on, he will work alongside Abdur Razzak and Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu," BCB's media committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman Mithu told reporters in Mirpur following a board of directors meeting.

"As you know, there are one or two others working as selectors elsewhere, but Shanto was brought in because he is more experienced. Having played at the top level for Bangladesh for a long time, he was the natural choice for the role," he added.

Meanwhile, Salma will be Bangladesh's first woman selector as she will join Sazzad Ahmed Shipon, who is currently working as the chief selector of the women's team.

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"We had a short meeting where we made four to five key decisions. One of those was the appointment of Salma Khatun as the first-ever woman selector for our women's national team," said Mithu.

"I think this is a revolutionary decision by our president, as having someone like Salma involved will provide great support for women's cricket. This is the first time such an appointment has been made in Bangladesh," he added.

Meanwhile, Mithu also revealed that they will make their decision on the ongoing dispute regarding the ownership of four clubs on Sunday while the voters' list of the upcoming board of directors election will be approved on the following day.

"There has also been an ongoing dispute regarding the ownership of four clubs. A one-member committee was supposed to make a decision on the matter today but the committee has requested one more day to review the report thoroughly and will present its findings tomorrow," he said.

"As you know, the deadline for councillor nominations remains open till the September 22. On that day, a board meeting has been scheduled at 6:30 pm, where the councillor voters' list will be approved," he concluded.