Since his glorious strike in the 1999 SAF Games in Nepal against India in the semifinal, Tipu had spent the last few seasons in virtual wilderness before a strong showing in the ongoing league, especially in the second-leg, drew the attention of the Argentine coach. Tipu notched ten goals including one in the last fixture of the season for his club Abahami yesterday and is joint second in the scorer's chart.

Cruciani picked his probables after watching matches for a month. There were nine new faces -- Atiqul Islam Tareq, Mohammad Shakil, Siraji, Wali Faisal, Arman Aziz, Zahed Parvez, Abul Hossain, Zahid Hossain Emily and Tapu who all received their first senior call-up.

Two Asia Cup pre-qualifying matches against Pakistan in November will be the first assignment for Cruciani but he was already looking forward to the 4th SAFF Championship to be held in Pakistan in December where Bangladesh will defend their title.

"There are a lot of areas the players need to improve. I have considered skill, stamina and movement before selecting the team. There is hardly any chance to experiment with the new players who have impressed me most as we will get only three months to prepare the team for the SAFF Championship," said Cruciani at a press conference at the BFF Bhaban yesterday.

Many were surprised at the omission of Muktijoddha striker Saiful Islam Moni, Sheikh Russel winger Tanveer and Abahani defender Prodip Poddar but the Bangladesh coach said that he selected the team with a formation in mind.

"I have a plan to play a 4-3-1-2 formation and those who have been left out did not fit into that plan. I am still searching for a player with the ability to cover the midfield and forward with a lot of energy. I am not satisfied with the current state of the players but I understand that I have to work within certain limitations."

Cruciani said that his first challenge would be to ensure fitness when the month-long camp starts from September 15 at the BKSP.

BFF general secretary Anwarul Haque Helal said that they had given full freedom to the coach to pick his selection.

"He picked up the team almost single-handedly. There was no interference and you can rest assured that he will get full freedom to prepare the team," said Helal.

SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Aminul (Muktijoddha), Biplob (Mohammedan), Tareq (Brothers) and Shakil (Arambagh)
Defenders: Faisal Ahmed (Farashganj), Sujan, Parvez Babu and Siraji (Brothers), Rajani and Firoz Mahmud Titoo (Muktijoddha), Nazrul (Mohammedan) and Wali Faisal (Abahani)
Midfielders: Joy, Zahed Parvez, Ujjal (Abahani), Arman Aziz, Matiur Munna, Faisal Mahmud and Asad (Mohammedan), Arman Miah and Hasan Al Mamun (Muktijoddha);
Forwards: Alfaz (Mohammedan), Farhad and Tipu (Abahani), Kanchan (Muktijoddha), Emily and Topu (Brothers).