Bangladesh Cricket Board official on Tuesday (February 20) appointed former national skipper Habibul Bashar as the head of women's cricket. Habibul, who worked as the member of the national selection panel from 2016 to 2024 until it was dissolved recently, took over the responsibility at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday during a meeting of the women's wing headed by its chairman Nadel Chowdhury. "We have discussed how to go forward in the coming days with women's cricket," Nadel told reporters at the SBNS on Tuesday. "I think it's a huge plus for the women's wing to have someone like Habibul Bashar as the head of the department. And, I think it's a big opportunity for him," he said." As an in-charge he will do the planning while David Moore (BCB program head) will do the corresponding with different boards as well as ICC, and under the leadership of Habibul the operations of the women's cricket will take place," he added.
Habibul told Cricbuzz that he is excited to take up the new position and added that the recent success of women's cricket played a big part in him accepting the job. "There is a scope to work in this field. Certainly the recent result of the women's team inspired me to take up the job," said Habibul adding that his priority lies in school cricket at the moment for girls."I think if we can have school cricket for women it will be a huge step forward considering nowadays only few women cricketers are playing the game. I would like to go to different schools and try to promote women's cricket and take others like current cricketers with me to help different school authorities understand the importance of women's cricket," he said. BCB is planning to have franchise cricket for women's in the coming days and Habibul believe it will be a huge boost for the women's cricket if board eventually manage to introduce T20 cricket tournament for women's cricket.
Habibul Bashar was one of Bangladesh's leading batsmen. He was the captain of Bangladesh from January 2004 to June 2007, during this time he led the team to some notable successes. When Zimbabwe toured Bangladesh in January 2005, Bangladesh recorded their first Test match win, their first Test series win, and their first One Day International series win. In June 2005, Bangladesh beat the world champions Australia in a One Day International in Cardiff. In April 2006, they came close to beating Australia in a Test match, taking a first-innings lead of 158, eventually losing by three wickets. Bangladesh lost the ODI series with Zimbabwe in August 2006 by 3–2, but beat them in the last qualifying match of the Champions Trophy.
