Later this week, once Nazmul Hassan, the board president, has spoken with the candidates, the BCB will announce Bangladesh’s new ODI skipper. According to reports, Shakib Al Hasan is the preferred candidate, however Litton Das and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are also in the running.
The board had an emergency meeting on Monday, but was unable to make a decision because it wanted to examine the candidates’ perspectives as well. The BCB has until August 12 to make a selection for the Asia Cup roster, which gives them just three more days. Mehidy is in Dhaka, Litton just got back from playing in the Global T20 Canada, and Shakib is currently in Colombo.
Shakib’s selection as the ODI skipper was described by Hassan as a “easy decision” at a recent briefing, but ESPNcricinfo knows it isn’t that simple. Shakib now serves as Bangladesh’s Test and T20I captain, but it is unknown if he would prefer to be in charge across all competitions.
According to Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s chairman of cricket operations, “the board has entrusted the president to discuss the matter with the captaincy candidates by August 12” following today’s emergency meeting. “The president will learn who will take the helm in each format and whether or not that player supports it. The contenders’ opinions on leading the red and white ball teams are what we want to hear.
For the Asia Cup, we want to name a captain. By August 12th, we must submit our team for this competition. We still have time to discuss the World Cup captain before September 5, which is the date for team announcements. We must listen to what the new skipper has to say. Within the next several days, the team will be revealed. We’ll also name the captain.
By August 12, Bangladesh will most likely announce a 22-person preliminary roster for the World Cup that will include every player competing in the Asia Cup, which starts on August 30.
Tamim Iqbal’s resignation on August 3 following his withdrawal from the Asia Cup due to a back ailment left the ODI captaincy unfilled. He hopes to be healthy in time for the ODI World Cup that will follow the series against New Zealand that starts on September 21.
Less than a month had passed since he had changed his mind about leaving international cricket. He had retired on July 6, but Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to reconsider the next day, and he complied. At the time, it was believed that Hassan’s remarks to a local media source, in which he questioned Tamim’s competence and fitness, had caused him to impulsively resign.
