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Former Bangladesh captain Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu has been appointed the new chief selector of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), replacing Minhajul Abedin Nannu.
Sports Minister and BCB President Nazmul Hasan made the announcement after the first BCB board meeting of the year on Monday.
“We discussed the appointment of the chief selector at length,” Nazmul said. “Ultimately, we agreed on Gazi Ashraf. We considered several candidates, but Gazi Ashraf was our unanimous choice,” said the minister.
Former Bangladesh opener Hanan Sarkar has joined the selection panel as a selector, bringing his experience in age-level cricket selection. Hannan boasts a distinguished career with 17 Tests, 20 ODIs, and over 4000 runs in first-class cricket.
The panel was completed by former Bangladeshi spinner Abdur Razzak, who was also a member of the last panel.
Gazi Ashraf's appointment is somewhat surprising, as he has not been prominently discussed for the position in recent times. A former batter, Gazi Ashraf captained the Bangladesh team in its first seven ODIs between 1986 and 1990 and is highly respected within the country's cricketing circles.
Minhajul Abedin, who became chief selector in June 2016, and Habibul Bashar have been removed from the selection panel. However, Nazmul confirmed they would be offered other positions within the BCB.
“The board appreciates the contributions of Minhajul and his panel,” Nazmul said. “They have served with distinction, and we want to retain their expertise. We will appoint them to suitable positions in due course.”