Bangladesh’s national cricket teams are heading into another busy phase of international cricket, with both the men’s and women’s sides preparing for overseas assignments. While the men are currently training in Mirpur, the women are in Japan for the Asian Games. Yet one notable change will accompany their upcoming campaigns: no Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector will travel with either team.
The men’s side, featuring players such as Najmul Hossain Shanto and Litton Das, is currently undergoing preparations in Mirpur ahead of its next international commitments. Their next destination will be the United Arab Emirates, where Bangladesh are scheduled to face Afghanistan in a Test before taking part in a tri-series involving Zimbabwe.
The women’s team, meanwhile, are currently competing in the Asian Games in Japan. Once the competition is over, captain Nigar Sultana Joty and her team-mates will return home before travelling again, this time to Australia. They are due to face the hosts in an ODI series.
The two tours will keep Bangladesh’s international squads occupied across different formats and locations. The men will have a Test assignment followed by a multi-team limited-overs competition, while the women will switch their focus to a series of ODIs against Australia.
Amid those commitments, however, the BCB is making a change to its traditional approach to selector involvement. In the past, at least one member of the national selection panel would generally accompany the team during bilateral series, whether the matches were played at home or abroad. The practice allowed selectors to remain close to the squad and observe players during an international assignment.
That arrangement will not apply to the upcoming tours of Australia and the United Arab Emirates. No selector is scheduled to travel with either the women’s or men’s national team.
According to BCB sources, the decision reflects a broader shift in how selectors will be assigned to overseas tours. Rather than sending a selector with the team for every series, the board plans to assess the importance and requirements of individual assignments before deciding whether a selector should travel.
Under the proposed approach, selector involvement will therefore become more situation-based. Some tours may require direct observation and assessment from a member of the selection panel, while in other cases selectors may carry out their responsibilities from Bangladesh.
The change comes as the national teams continue to face increasingly demanding schedules. Managing two squads across different countries and formats requires the selection panel to monitor performances and assess players throughout the season, while also making decisions on squad composition for upcoming assignments.
For now, the immediate focus remains on the two forthcoming tours. Bangladesh’s women will travel to Australia after completing their Asian Games campaign in Japan, while the men will head to the UAE for the Test against Afghanistan and the subsequent tri-series involving Zimbabwe.
The absence of selectors from both tours marks a departure from the previous practice. It also signals a move towards a more selective system in which the BCB will determine the need for a selector’s presence according to the nature and significance of each international assignment.