Allrounder Shakib Al Hasan has been named Bangladesh’s new Test skipper, replacing Mushfiqur Rahim. His first assignment will be the home Test series against Sri Lanka, while Mahmudullah has been named as his deputy.
Mushfiqur was leading the Bangladesh’s squad since September 2011, but after the team’s forgettable tour of South Africa, he has been replaced by Shakib. Mushfiqur led Bangladesh in 34 Tests, starting against West Indies in Chittagong. He led Bangladesh to seven Test wins and nine draws while losing 18 Tests. Under his presence, the team had registered historic triumphs against England and Australia recently.
This is the second time that Shakib will be leading the Test squad, having been replaced by Mushfiqur in 2011. His first stint, from July 2009 to August 2011, saw him lead the team in nine Tests, with one win and eight losses.
Talking about the change, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief Nazmul Hasan said, “We have decided to change the Test captain. Shakib Al Hasan will be our new Test skipper from the upcoming series and Mahmudullah will be the vice-captain of the side. There will be no changes in the other formats.”
He further elaborated, “I can’t say that there were some specific reasons behind the decision. Basically, we think that there should be a change here. We want best batting service from Mushfiqur. We want to give him some time to relax and moreover, he should concentrate on his batting. Overall, we are willing to make a plan for next four to five years and the decision is just the beginning of the new plan. There will be some changes also in other fields as well. But till now, this is the only change which has been made today.”
The BCB is yet to name a replacement for former coach Chandika Hathurasingha. As per the reports of Cricbuzz, Khaled Mahmud or Richard Halsall will be named as the interim coach if BCB fails to appoint the head coach before the SL series.
BCB also confirmed that Tamim Iqbal, who was replaced as deputy skipper of the Test squad by Mahmudullah, will continue as vice-captain of the T20I team.
