When the question of who will become the next ODI captain of Bangladesh surfaces within the cricketing fraternity of the country, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Nazmul Hasan, said that Shakib Al Hasan is an obvious choice for the hot seat.
Tamim Iqbal, who had been captaining Bangladesh in the 50-over format, recently stepped down due to his injury-related complexities. With only two months left before the next World Cup, BCB is under pressure to appoint the next captain.
"We have to carefully consider the decision to appoint a new captain," he said in programme held in Dhaka to celebrate the birthday of Sheik Kamal, the son of the founding father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "But it's true that Shakib is an obvious choice for the role."
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When Tamim was the regular captain, Litton Das, the top-order batter in fine form, was his deputy. Tamim had announced an abrupt retirement during the last home series against Afghanistan. In his absence, Litton led the team in the two remaining matches of that series.
"Leading the team in a series and leading a team in the World Cup are different," Nazmul said while expressing his views on Litton's potential as a new captain. "It's a big responsibility, and it may impact his batting as well. We don't want to rush into appointing a new captain; we need to take more time."
While discussing the possible names for the new captain, Litton's name is also popping up, alongside Shakib. Mehidy Hasan Miraz's name is also on the table.
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"We have many things to consider," Nazmul said, expressing the complexity of the scenario. "We have to appoint a captain for the long term, and we also have to think about the World Cup. If we appoint a relatively new guy, can he handle the pressure of the World Cup? And if we appoint an experienced player, will he be able to continue playing for a long time? We have to consider everything."
Shakib is now 36 years old, and no one can assure that he will continue playing for at least the next two years, which makes it challenging to consider him as the new captain, according to Nazmul.
"Can you assure that Shakib will play two more years?" Nazmul asked the question to a journalist. "We don't know! So we have to sit with him and understand his plans for the future."
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Bangladesh's new assignment is to take part in the Asia Cup later this month, followed by a home series against New Zealand. As a result, the BCB will soon have to make a crucial decision regarding the appointment of a new captain who will undoubtedly face significant pressure in quick succession.