Who selected Murshida Khatun Happy for the three-match ODIs against Australia?
It turned out to be a million-dollar question after the opener was included in the 16-member squad for the three-match series Down Under, scheduled to begin on October 9. Cricbuzz understands that the left-handed opener was not part of the 15-member squad for the tour prepared by the selection committee.
The BCB later announced a 16-member squad to accommodate her after higher-ups insisted that no deserving candidate should be ignored. The matter came up for discussion after BCB women’s wing chairman Rafiqul Islam Babu pushed for Murshida’s inclusion in the touring party.
Babu did not deny that Murshida was not picked in the original 15-member squad but insisted that he pushed for her inclusion based on her recent performances.
Quite a few eyebrows were raised over why Murshida was not included in the Asia Cup and Asian Games squads but was still given a chance on the Australia tour. “To be honest the Asia Cup and Asian Games squad was prepared even before I took charge of the women’s department,” Babu told Cricbuzz.
“Later when the squad for the Australia tour was prepared I requested that we should pick Murshida because she deserves a chance as she was our only performer for the Emerging team against South Africa,” he said.
“You see, there was only one fifty in the entire South Africa tour, she scored it. She made 61. She was dropped because she performed badly just once in her career and was dropped completely. Later she was considered based on her performance against the South Africa Emerging team,” he said.
“I said to pick her based on her performance. Many others are performing badly but they haven’t been dropped and I felt she also deserved a chance,” he said.
Babu’s admission that he requested Murshida’s inclusion in the squad for the Australia tour has exposed the current scenario in Bangladesh women’s cricket, which has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons in recent times.
It is not surprising to see the BCB women’s committee chairman exercising his power in team selection. That had been the case with the men’s team as well, particularly after former BCB boss Nazmul Hasan, who was known for calling all the shots, instructed the selectors.
However, it was learnt that this was not the case with the women’s team, with sources close to the development confirming to Cricbuzz that current BCB boss Tamim Iqbal hardly interfered in selection matters.
Certain sections within the BCB fraternity claim Babu had to push Murshida’s name due to political pressure and eventually make arrangements for her to fly to Australia, though he begs to differ.
“It’s not true that there was any political pressure on me (to include Murshida in the squad for Australia),” he added.
Whether Murshida was picked due to her performance or for anything else is a matter of debate, but the process followed in her case was certainly not ideal, if nothing else.
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