After several days of hype surrounding the appointment of a new captain for Bangladesh national men's Twenty20 team, the BCB finally confirmed on Saturday (August 13) that Shakib will captain the team for the upcoming three international series, which include the Asia Cup 2022 in the UAE and the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. It may have been a risky move for the Cricket Board to choose a new captain at a time when two crucial events are approaching. The fact that the name is Shakib creates an air of hope. The expectations from the ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and his record as Bangladesh's national male cricket team's T20 captain are discussed in this article.

Shakib’s record as Twenty20 captain of the Bangladesh national team

All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was first appointed as captain when regular skipper Mashrafe Mortaza suffered a knee injury during the first Test of the West Indies tour in 2009. Shakib acted as captain for the remainder of the tour, which included a lone T20I as well. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh won all of their fixtures on the 2009 Caribbean tour. Shakib then captained Bangladesh in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 and lost both of their group phase fixtures against Pakistan and Australia, respectively.

The BCB later scrapped Shakib from the captaincy and appointed Mushfiqur Rahim to lead the national side. Seven years later, in 2017, Shakib was re-appointed, but his second stint as T20 captain didn’t come out as expected. Bangladesh only won one series out of six under his captaincy from 2017 to 2019. In terms of stats, Shakib is the second-worst Twenty20 captain in Bangladesh.

Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad

Bangladesh’s T20 captaincy record (at least 10 matches) 

    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

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How will Shakib fare as Bangladesh’s T20 captain in 2022 Asia Cup?

Shakib has come a long way since making his international debut in 2006. He has seen many highs and lows in his 16 illustrious years of international cricket. At 35, he is nearing the end of his career and probably has a good two to three years left before hanging up his boots. Despite the fact that Shakib hasn’t achieved noteworthy successes as captain in T20Is, one can’t rule out the possibility that he will be a success in his third term as skipper. He has all the qualities and experience to lead the Bangladesh Twenty20 side. Here are some of his captaincy qualities that could make a difference for Bangladesh during the upcoming 2022 Asia Cup event.

Leadership Quality

Perhaps the most important element to being a captain is to have leadership qualities. Shakib is well respected and idolized by the young players in the Bangladesh squad. He has a strong influence in the dressing room in terms of making decisions. Therefore, there is no doubt about Shakib’s leadership capability.

Clear Vision

Shakib Al Hasan has a clear vision of what he demands from his players. He knows the players very well, their strengths and weaknesses. Shakib will consider a player’s playing ability in a particular role when making a game plan. It remains to be seen whether the player can fulfill his role during the game and how much of an impact he can have on the team. Shakib’s strong will as a leader will help Bangladesh's team to produce good performances in the forthcoming two big events.

Read Asia Cup 2022: What could Bangladesh’s squad look like?

Game Awareness

The ability to make sensible judgments is one of a competent captain's most crucial qualities. A captain must pay close attention to three crucial decisions during a match: field selection, bowling substitutions, and batting order rearrangement. Shakib's talent as a cricketer and intelligence are widely recognized. Shakib is far savvier than the former skipper, Mahmudullah Riyad, when it comes to knowing what to do in different match situations. 

Way Forward 

It is clear that Shakib's track record as the Bangladesh national team's T20 captain is not the best. The Bangladesh Cricket Board now has no better candidate than Shakib to replace Mahmudullah Riyad as T20 captain. The talented all-rounder is perhaps Bangladesh's finest player to date, having played Twenty20 cricket in different parts of the cricketing world. Shakib is the best candidate to captain the team since he can inspire the players and bring forth their best performances in the Asian Cup Cricket tournament.

In addition, he has an in-depth understanding of what it takes to overcome tougher opponents and unfamiliar conditions. Though only time will tell whether Shakib Al Hasan can meet the expectations as Bangladesh T20 captain in the Asia Cup 2022.

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