Bangladesh cricket has a new chief selector in Habibul Bashar, and he has wasted absolutely no time in making his intentions clear.

Appointed by the BCB on March 23, Bashar held his first official press conference on Tuesday and touched on everything from his selection philosophy to the big Shakib Al Hasan question that nobody in Bangladesh cricket can seem to avoid.

What came across clearly is that this is a man who knows his own mind and is not particularly worried about what anyone else thinks of his decisions.

BCB cheif selector Habibul Bashar's honest take on the job

Bashar has actually been around Bangladesh cricket's selection setup for a long time, having been part of the national selection panel from 2011 to 2024 before being moved to BCB game development.

So coming back to the hot seat is familiar territory for him, even if the pressure is no less. He was refreshingly honest about how he plans to operate, saying he will always go with what his heart tells him regardless of the criticism that follows.

He acknowledged he will not always get it right but made it clear that external noise, whether from the press or social media, will not change how he works. For a role that comes with enormous public scrutiny in Bangladesh, that kind of clarity of thought is exactly what you want to hear from a chief selector.

"I know I won't be right all the time as I am human and can make errors. But when it comes to my judgments I will do what my heart says. If I have to hear words [criticism] for it, I am willing to take it and I have taken the job after accepting that among 10 people, five will call me right and five will call me wrong," Bashar told reporters during his first official press conference after taking over the hot seat at SBNS on Tuesday.

"Whether it is being trolled or being criticized by the press I am not bothered about it. I went through all this when I was the captain and my main job is to work with the team and it won't be hampered by anyone's writing," he said.

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The Shakib Al Hasan question and what Bashar really wants

The inevitable Shakib Al Hasan question came up and Bashar gave an answer that was more thoughtful than most people probably expected.

Rather than getting caught up in whether Shakib will be available for Bangladesh for the upcoming New Zealand series, Bashar made it clear he is thinking much bigger than that. He wants Shakib Al Hasan back for the long term, ideally with a plan that takes him all the way to the ODI World Cup 2027.

Bashar pointed out that Shakib Al Hasan is not the kind of player who can just walk in off the street and perform, he needs proper preparation and time, and rushing him back for one series before he disappears again is not something Bashar is interested in.

"There is not much time left before the New Zealand series and I am not sure how much cricket Shakib Al Hasan has been involved with. From what I know about him, he is not a guy who will come tomorrow and play the day after. He needs preparation too. It's not a place of emotion. Definitely if we are thinking about Shakib al Hasan, we will think in the long-term," Bashar said.

"I don't think about Shakib al Hasan coming for a single series and then leaving. If we can get service from him, we will want that he provides that for a long time. In that regard, preparation is very important. First things first, Shakib al Hasan is definitely in the plans. You see there are talks about him in regards to the New Zealand series which is why I want him to come prepared for a longer time. I think he still has two years.

"Many talk about retirement, for instance, we have seen talks of Mushfiqur Rahim's retirement. I have said that the longer they play, it's better for us. The more we can include them, it's better for the side. And when we pick them, it's not so that they can come and retire. I want Shakib al Hasan for the longer term, at least to have that plan where he can play the 2027 World Cup. So my plans are not for one series," he said.

It was a mature and sensible way of looking at the situation, and it suggests Bangladesh's approach to their greatest ever cricketer might finally have some proper structure behind it.

Bashar also spoke about the broader squad picture, saying Bangladesh needs to expand their player pool given the volume of cricket coming up, while being careful not to sacrifice results in the process.

Bangladesh's primary target remains direct qualification for the ODI World Cup 2027, where they currently sit ninth in the rankings and need to break into the top eight before the cut-off date.