Bangladeshi chief cricket selector returns

Chief selector Akram Khan says he is withdrawing his resignation and will return to his position after Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's assurances he will be able to work independently.

Khan submitted his resignation on Wednesday, apparently over differences with the Bangladesh Cricket Board President A.H.M. Mustafa Kamal in selecting the national team for the Asian Cup starting on Sunday.

Khan told reporters on Saturday he will return after his recent meeting with Hasina.

"I have an assurance from the prime minister," he told a media conference in Dhaka. "She (the prime minister) will soon sit with former cricketers to discuss how to handle the game more professionally."

The board on Monday announced a 14-member squad that excluded regular opener and Khan's nephew Tamim Iqbal, despite the three-member selection committee including him in a 15-member squad.

Under pressure and after Khan's meeting with Hasina, the board has revised its decision and included Iqbal to a 15-member squad as originally forwarded by the selection committee.

While Iqbal was dropped, all-rounder Mashrafe bin Mortaza was recalled after he led the Dhaka Gladiators to victory in the inaugural Twenty20 Bangladesh Premier League. Iqbal played only two games for the Chittagong Kings due to a groin injury.

Khan had said Iqbal's fitness was not a problem for the upcoming tournament.

Bangladesh will host Pakistan in the opening match of the Asian Cup at Dhaka's Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.