DHAKA - Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim attended a hearing with top BCB officials after saying on Sunday that he was shocked with chief selector Faruque Ahmed's selection of the Asia Cup squad. BCB director Akram Khan, also the chairman of the cricket operations committee, said he and acting chief executive Nizamuddin Ahmed discussed the matter with Mushfiqur, Faruque and coach Shane Jurgensen. But neither he nor Nizamuddin revealed if there was any action taken on Mushfiqur.
"We held a type of a hearing with Mushfiqur," Akram said. "We sat with him first. We discussed the code of conduct, his communication gap with Faruque bhai. We talked to both about these issues. I don't think there will be any more problems like this. During my time as a chief selector, there was no provision for the selectors to select the team along with the captain. Similarly, the captain doesn't have to take the selectors' suggestion when he picks up the playing XI. It is a matter of understanding, that the selectors and captain take each others' opinion when picking a squad and a playing XI."
The incumbent Faruque has said that coach Jurgensen had attended a discussion with the selectors regarding the Asia Cup squad, and it was understood at the time that the team management had been already represented.
"When we made this team, we had a long discussion with the coach," Faruque said. "We understood that since the coach attended, he was representing the captain too. When we do discussion on playing XI, it is not necessary that all three selectors attend the meetings. If I attend, then I am representing the selection committee. I think it is good that such a thing has come up, so that now the BCB can make discussion mandatory. This will be my strong recommendation.
"It is not clearly mentioned in our job description that we are bound to consult someone while making a 15-man squad. It is the same with the captain when he is making a playing XI. He can talk to us about a specific issue but they are not bound to do so," he said.
Faruque said he understood Mushfiqur's sentiment, having been a captain himself during his playing days. He said that Mushfiqur's comments were a "misunderstanding". "I have captained Bangladesh and at the club-level for almost 17 years, so I am well placed to understand how important the captain has to take all the pressure," he said. "I think what has happened has been a misunderstanding. I think the BCB president explained it very well yesterday: we make the 15, captain makes the eleven. That is how we made the team. We understood that the coach knew some of the captain's opinions," he said.