New DelhiHabibul Bashar, the recently appointed chairman of national selectors, wants Shaib Al Hasan to make a longer return to the international arena. Bashar was appointed chief selector by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday, taking over from Gazi Ashraf Hossain.
From 2011 to 2024, when Faruque Ahmed, Akram Khan, and Minhajul Abedin served as chief selectors, Bashar was a member of the selection panel. Now that he is in charge of the selection panel, Bashar addressed the urgent issue of his future.
Bashar discusses Shakib's returnAccording to the chief selector, he wants Shakib to return for a longer time frame rather than a brief one. "The New Zealand series is quickly approaching, and I'm not sure how much cricket Shakib has been playing. I don't think he will show up tomorrow and play the following day, based on what I know about him. He also needs to get ready. It's not an emotional place. "We will definitely consider the long term if we are considering Shakib," Bashar stated on Tuesday at SBNS.
"I don't consider Shakib arriving for one series and then departing. If he is able to serve us, we will want him to do so for a long time. Preparation is crucial in this regard. First of all, he is unquestionably part of the plans. I want him to arrive prepared for a longer period of time because, as you can see, there have been discussions about him in relation to the New Zealand series. He still has two years, I believe.
"A lot of people discuss retirement; for example, we've heard discussions about his retirement. I've stated that it's better for us if they play for longer. The more of them we can incorporate, the better for the side. Additionally, we don't choose them so they can retire. In the long run, I want him to have a plan that will allow him to participate in the 2027 World Cup. Therefore, I don't have plans for just one series," he stated.
Bashar claims that trolling doesn't concern him.The 53-year-old said he won't consider trolling or criticism when making decisions at the BCB and will instead listen to his heart. "I am aware that I will not always be correct because I am a fallible human. However, I will follow my heart when making decisions. I'm willing to take criticism if necessary, and I accepted the position after realizing that out of ten people, five would think well of me and five would think poorly."
"I don't care if I am the target of trolling or media criticism. I experienced all of this while serving as captain, and my primary responsibility is to collaborate with the team; no one's writing will interfere with that," he stated.
Bashar's primary goal is to directly qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup.The selector then stated that he wants the team to immediately qualify for the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is his first goal with the team as he will assume leadership next month. Bangladesh is currently ranked ninth in the ODI rankings; in order to guarantee a direct entry into the tournament, they must finish in the top eight before the deadline.
"I mean, directly qualifying is our first goal. That is the main goal, but our performance consistency is even more crucial. This will undoubtedly be a major focus, whether in team selection or our performance," he stated.
Additionally, I believe we need to work with a larger group because there are a lot of matches this year. There are back-to-back series. Therefore, we need to increase the number of players. Everyone ought to succeed. Working with this group is crucial if there are ten or fifteen more players outside of the 14–15 squad. If we can properly prepare this group, I don't think there will be any issues," he stated.