Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar got hot under the collar after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had dismissed his plea to appoint a long-term captain instead of a tour-by-tour appointment policy.

But after his first official meeting with the selectors at BCB's corporate office in Gulshan on Sunday, the 32-year-old said that he had thoroughly enjoyed the new role.

"For the first time I met the selectors and took part in a lively discussion. It was really fantastic. I expressed my desires and also learnt their opinions about the team," said the most successful national captain. Bashar, who took over the hot job from Khaled Mahmud in January 2004, has not been a part of the selection panel, headed by Faruque Ahmed.

The Board this time however decided to give Bashar a leeway by announcing him as captain for the forth-coming tour of Sri Lanka well

ahead of the revelation of the final squad for the three one-day internationals and two Tests.

The early announcement allowed Bashar to sit with coach Dav Whatmore and Athar Ali Khan in the first selection meeting in absence of Faruque, who is now in the United States to fulfill family commitment.

Although the meeting ended inconclusively, Bashar believed that it helped him a lot to collect information about a few finer points that would be a great help for him during matches.

"I've learned many things from the discussions and it will ultimately help me to properly handle a player on the field. Besides, I've got a clear idea about the International Cricket Council's (ICC) new one-day rules," said Bashar.

"We have discussed a lot about the super-sub. I had a preconceived notion that we need a bowler as a super-sub since we have always played with one bowler short. But the meeting was an eye-opener for me," said Bashar, who turns 33 on the 17th this month.

"Applying the new ICC rules in Sri Lanka will not be an easy job. I think we need to put a lot of thinking on the

new field restrictions (power play) against some world-class attacking batsmen. As a captain it is a big challenge for me," he said.

Bashar informed a 15-member team for the three-match one-day series is likely to be announced within two or three days.

"We talked about both one-day and Test teams, but a final decision would be made in consultation with the chief selector," he said.

Bashar refused to make any comment about his desired team for the tour, but it was learnt that a change in the one-day side that played in England two months ago was highly unlikely.

There is however a strong possibility for in-form Tushar Imran to get back into the Test team.

"I don't want to make any comment on the selection, but it is true that Tushar gave us food for thought. He was playing good cricket in England with the Bangladesh A team, especially his two hundreds in the longer-version matches impressed everybody. You should not be surprised if you see him back in the Test side," said Bashar.