There's been a buzz after BCB president Nazmul Hasan announced that newly-appointed coach Hathurusingha will have a say in selection, although a decision on whether he will be officially included in the selection panel like the past is yet to be made.
"This (whether Hathurusingha will be included in the selection panel) will be decided by the board. There are two selections: preliminary (squad) and final selection (playing XI)," said Nazmul Hasan, BCB President. "The final selection is always made by the captain and coach, and the captain decides whereas the coach gives suggestions but basically it is the captain."
Many feel that if Hathurusingha is included in the selection panel, that will take away power from the selectors. However, BCB's chief selector Minhajul Abedin and his long time associate in the selection panel Habibul Bashar disagree with it.
"I am not sure whether he will be included in the selection panel or not but I don't think it will be a problem and we didn't have any problems last time too," Minhajul told Cricbuzz on Thursday, adding that he is in regular touch with the Sri Lankan to keep him updated.
Habibul told Cricbuzz that he has seen Hathurusingha working from close quarters and feels that there are lots of misconceptions floating in the air about him.
"It is not true that he had given us a paper (selecting the team)," said Habibul. "We always discussed about our team with the head coach and always take his suggestion whether he is a part of selection panel or not. And it was the same with him as well.
"I don't think he is any kind of strict headmaster. Instead what I feel is that he always looked at the cricketers equally."
Khaled Mahmud, current team director and a close ally of Hathurusingha, feels that Hathurusingha is now much more matured than before.
"He has worked in Bangladesh before. There were a lot of good performances during his time. He is more mature [now], which is good for the team. I think it is a positive thing that he is coming for a second time. He understands us well, as he is also from the subcontinent." said Mahmud, who had worked as team manager during Hathurusingha's first stint
Hathurusingha spent three years from 2014 to 2017 before leaving abruptly for the Sri Lanka role. He is expected to arrive by January 20 and his first assignment will be against England at home.
