Bangladesh cricket team’s national selector Hannan Sarkar decided to step down from his role just a few days before the completion of his tenure. The former Bangladeshi opening batter was appointed in March 2024 and his contract was supposed to conclude on 26th February 2025.
Although Sarkar wished to complete his tenure but had to take this decision earlier for the sake of improvement. The 42-year-old confirmed his decision by submitting an official letter to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday (February 01).
However, speculations have swirled around that he quit his position due to the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2025 corruption allegations. But, there isn’t any evidence or connection between Sarkar’s resignation and these allegations.
Why Did Hannan Sarkar Decided to Step Down as National Selector?
Hannan Sarkar’s decision to quit before the due date was purely to go through a transition from a national selector to a cricket coach. He envisioned himself in the coaching setup in the upcoming days and formally informed his plans to the Board:
“YES! I submitted the letter to them (BCB) yesterday to step down from the national selection panel. I desire to strengthen my career in coaching and this is the main reason to not continue as a part of the national selection committee.
For a long time, I was planning to switch my career to coaching. And this was the perfect moment to proceed with it formally. If the BCB feels that they can appoint me in the coaching set-up, then I’m ready to accept it,” Sarkar said.
The ex-right-handed batter was an age-level selector from July 2016 to February 2024. Also, he worked as an Under-19 selector before becoming a member of BCB’s national selection panel. It is noteworthy to know that during his era, the Bangladesh U19 men’s cricket team lifted its first ICC U19 World Cup trophy. While he was employed as the national selector in 2024, the team won the U19 Asia Cup in the same year.
‘Want To Work On Field Rather Than AC Room’: Hannan Sarkar’s Future Plans REVEALED!
Speaking to the Business Standard about his resignation and upcoming plans, Hannan provided additional details on why he prioritized coaching over the national selector’s role:
“Look! I mainly wanted to get back to coaching. It is a fact that a national selector cannot be involved in a dual role like coaching as it is a clash of interests. I had to select the best ones out of the two. I felt that for a long-term career, coaching was a better choice.
You need to know that being a national selector is a highly prestigious role. But it isn’t a long-term career. In other words, the job is not at all permanent. Even if I continue with this role, the honor might disappear. This is the main reason why I gave preference to coaching and stepped down as national selector.
Also, I have worked closely with many players as a selector. Now I believe that I can contribute much bigger in cricket spending on-field rather than sitting and working in an air-conditioned room,” Hannan Sarkar clarified by providing more details.
Having completed a Level-2 coaching course under the BCB, the former Bangladeshi cricketer has considerable experience in coaching.
No Issues with the Board to Quit as National Selector: Clarifies Hannan Sarkar
The former Bangladeshi cricketer clarified that there weren’t any issues he faced with the board and the main reason behind his decision was to prefer coaching as his future career:
“Not at all! There isn’t any particular reason behind this decision. Everything was going fine. There weren’t any issues with my role on the Board. All I desired was to have a future in my coaching career in the long run. I strongly felt that through coaching I could deliver my best contributions to Bangladesh cricket,” Hannan Sarkar said.
No Pressure for Hannan Sarkar as National Selector
Hannan conveyed that he wasn’t under pressure while performing the duties of a national selector since the previous year March:
“No! I didn’t feel any pressure as a national selector. In reality, I enjoyed the role as much as possible. All I followed was to give my honest opinion all the time. I can say confidently that I have been performing at my best as a member of the national selection committee,” Sarkar said.
Emotional Decision For Hannan Sarkar to Quit the Job
Despite deciding on a long-term career, Hannan Sarkar feels that his decision was emotional and not an easy one to choose:
“Yeah! It was an emotional decision. A period of 8 years and 8 months in the selection process is a long journey. If you’ve worked somewhere for a long time, you become emotionally attached. I have experienced the same feel as an age-level selector and then a national selector.
But, I had to come to a reality, think practically, and consider my future first. But, it was emotional as well. Leaving this job was not at all easy as I have performed my role with utmost sincerity and determination,” Sarkar added.
BPL 2025 Corruption Allegations
Meanwhile, the BCB’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) has flagged eight matches under the suspicion of spot-fixing based on the information received from anonymous sources and media reports. In addition, 10 cricketers are scrutinized by the ACU, out of which four of them are closely being tracked.
Being the country’s reputed T20 franchise league, the BPL has faced corruption allegations for many years. Considering the past two years, more than 30 complaints have been raised related to corruption. But, none of the players have faced a ban.
BCB President Faruque Ahmed gave a strict warning that the Board will certainly take action if anyone is found guilty of the spot-fixing crime. After the announcement, the BCB has been clear with its commitment to maintaining the league’s fair gameplay policies and planned to appoint an independent inquiry body to provide support to the ACU in the investigation process.