Bashar says selectors want to 'give our inputs' on playing XI

Habibul Bashar, chief of the Bangladesh Cricket Board's newly formed selection committee, said the panel wants a greater say in the playing XI going forward.

Bashar made the point while announcing the squad for the opening two games against New Zealand, adding that they have retained the same group that featured in the Pakistan series.

Squad: Litton Kumar Das, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Soumya Sarkar, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (captain), Rishad Hossain, Tanvir Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman.

"It's not like we want to select the playing XI, but we want to give our inputs," Bashar told reporters. "When we prepare the squad, we speak to the coach and the captain."

He added that continuity remains a priority, which is why the squad has been kept unchanged. "After reviewing the last series, we felt it was a successful one. Bangladesh played good cricket. Some players didn't get opportunities in the XI, and there were also new faces in the setup.

"Our approach is to give players enough opportunities once they are brought in. Those who played didn't perform poorly. We believe in maintaining continuity, which is why we have kept the same squad."

Bashar also stressed that the team would avoid major changes ahead of the World Cup. "We do not want to make major changes before the World Cup. If we need to assess someone, we will do so within the next six months or a year. The team's first priority is to win matches. We will build the best team to win, while also planning with the World Cup in mind, but not at the cost of a winning mentality."

Schedule: New Zealand arrive on April 13 for a white-ball tour.

• ODIs: First two in Mirpur (April 17, 20), third in Chattogram (April 23).
• T20Is: First two in Chattogram (April 27, 29), final match in Dhaka (May 2).