Newly appointed Bangladesh Test captain Shakib Al Hasan said he seeks the players will perform as a team in the series against the West Indies starting on Thursday at Antigua. Shakib took over the role of the Test captain after previous captain Mominul Haque decided to step aside after failing to find a rhythm in captaincy. In the last series at home against Sri Lanka, Bangladesh lost 1-0 in two-match Test competition. “I’m looking for a team performance in this series,” Shakib told the reporters ahead of the first match. “We haven’t been able to play well in Tests recently. So this series is a great chance for us to prove everyone wrong and play well. We have to take a good performance from this Test.” The allrounder said he is not worried about his individual performance as he has done well against Sri Lanka at home. Also read: Siddons backs Shakib as captain In the last tour to the West Indies in 2018, Bangladesh failed to do well. But Shakib believes the situation is better now for Bangladesh and they are upbeat to display a good brand of cricket. The Bangladesh captain also said the wicket of Antigua looks completely different than he saw it earlier. “The wicket looks good to me. It would help the batters early on, but batting may get tough in the fourth innings of the match when spinners should come into the effect,” Shakib said. Bangladesh will not get the service of the veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim who opted to not play this series for personal reasons. The visitors also lost Yasir Ali Rabbi, a middle-order batter, due to a back injury that he sustained during the tour match. Also read: Shakib Al Hasan's Captaincy Record in Test Cricket: An Overview To replace him, Bangladesh called in Anamul Haque Bijoy to the Test side after eight years. Anamul played his last Test in the venue where Bangladesh will play the second Test of this series— Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. In this four-Test career, Anamul scored only 73 runs with the best of 22 runs. However, he has done well in First-class cricket since his last omission from the Test team in 2014. He will be available to play Tests ahead of the second match that would begin on June 24. He is now the youngest Bangladeshi batter to have scored 7000 or more runs in First-class cricket. He also has 22 centuries and 37 half-centuries in First-class cricket. Mustafizur Rahman, the left-arm pacer, is set to return to Test after a while. The pacer was not willing to play in the longer format of the game. But the team management convinced him to do so. Meanwhile, Bangladeshi fans might not be able to watch the Test series on television as no channel has shown interest to broadcast the game in Bangladesh. In that case, the spectators might need to turn to the internet to watch the game through alternative channels. The two-match Test series is a part of the ongoing cycle of the ICC World Test Championship. Apart from two Tests, Bangladesh will take on the hosts in a three-match ODI and three-match T20I series on this tour.

Mominul Haque met with BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon last week to inform him of his decision to step down as Test captain. The left-handed batsman was hesitant to remain as Bangladesh's Test captain despite the BCB chief's requests. With only one week until the West Indies tour, the BCB had to move fast to appoint a new Test captain. The BCB named Shakib as the new Test captain on Thursday (June 2) following a meeting with the ace all-rounder. Litton was also promoted to vice-captain. Shakib was a successful Test skipper for Bangladesh in the past. Shakib Al Hasan’s performance as Test captain is discussed in this article.  Shakib Al Hasan’s Test Cricket Career as Captain Shakib made his Test debut against India in 2007, and two years later, in the second Test against the West Indies, he led Bangladesh for the first time in the absence of Mashrafe Mortaza, who was injured. The Shakib-led side triumphed by four wickets and sealed the series 2-0. After that, Shakib went on to captain Bangladesh for seven more games before Mushfiqur Rahim took over. In 2018, the ace all-rounder returned to lead Bangladesh and remained captain until 2019. He was released from the role following a one-year ban by the ICC in late October 2019. Read Litton Das Reaches 12, Highest Ever Test Ranking in Career Shakib Al Hasan has captained Bangladesh in 14 matches so far, and the team has won three and lost eleven. All of his victories as captain have come against the West Indies, two at home and one away. Interestingly, Shakib Al Hasan will captain Bangladesh again against West Indies, like he did the previous two times.  Country-wise, Shakib Al Hasan’s Test Captaincy Record  Team Matches Won Lost West Indies 5 3 2 Afghanistan 1 0 1 England 4 0 4 India 2 0 2 New Zealand 1 0 1 Zimbabwe 1 0 1    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Bangladesh vs West Indies Series 2022: Full Fixtures and Squads Batting Performance of Shakib Al Hasan as Captain Shakib Al Hasan has an exceptional battering record while captaining the team. Shakib is second only to Tamim Iqbal in terms of run scoring in the 14 games he has led for Bangladesh. Shakib has scored 918 runs in 27 innings as captain, with an average of 35.30. He has a century against New Zealand as captain.  Country-wise, Shakib Al Hasan’s batting performance as captain  Opposition Innings Runs HS Ave West Indies 9 325 96* 40.62 England 8 202 96 25.25 New Zealand 2 187 100 93.50 India 4 75 34 18.75 Zimbabwe 2 74 68 37.00 Afghanistan 2 55 44 27.50    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Who Can Replace Mominul Haque as Bangladesh Test Cricket Captain? Bowling Performance of Shakib Al Hasan as Captain Shakib al Hasan's bowling record while captaining the team has been superb. He has taken the most wickets in the 14 matches he has led for Bangladesh. Shakib has 61 wickets in 26 innings as skipper, at an average of 28.77. He has four five-wicket hauls as captain.  Country-wise, Shakib Al Hasan’s bowling performance as captain. Opposition Matches Wickets BBI Ave West Indies 5 25 6/33 18.32 India 2 9 5/62 32.44 New Zealand 1 1 1/89 133.00 England 4 17 5/121 36.94 Zimbabwe 1 4 3/62 30.50 Afghanistan 1 5 3/58 24.40    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Is Mominul doing enough as Test Captain? Bottom Line One of the reasons Mominul Haque resigned as captain was because he couldn't focus on his batting due to the added pressure. Shakib Al Hasan's performance as a player while serving as skipper is outstanding. Shakib has a solid record with both the ball and the bat while captaining the Bangladesh Test team. Shakib has also led Bangladesh to the best winning percentage in Test cricket. Therefore, the BCB made the suitable decision in selecting Shakib Al Hasan as Bangladesh's next Test cricket captain. 

Bangladesh Test cricket captain, Mominul Haque, has realized that he has failed to motivate the team. The left-handed batter met with BCB President Nazmul Hassan Papon on Tuesday (May 31) to discuss his role in the Test team. Mominul told the BCB president that he no longer wanted to captain the Test side and instead wanted to concentrate on his batting. However, Nazmul Hasan informed the media before the meeting that he didn't want Mominul to leave the role. Let's have a look at the potential replacements for Mominul Haque. The Potential Candidates to Replace Mominul Haque as Bangladesh Test Cricket Captain Appointing a captain for Bangladesh's Test team may not have been as difficult as it is now a few years ago. Senior players are nearing the end of their careers, and a few of them are reluctant to participate in all formats of the game. Picking the right person to fill the shoe in such a scenario is a challenging task. However, the BCB has no option but to choose one, and it must do so with a long-term vision. Let's see who the finest candidates are for Bangladesh Test Captain. Shakib Al Hasan Given the current circumstances, Shakib Al Hasan seems to be an ideal replacement for Mominul Haque. He was the captain of the side before being banned by the ICC in the year 2019. Shakib wasn’t considered for the role after returning to the national side and has been playing as a key member of the squad. Shakib’s record has been the best among the Bangladesh Test captains. As captain, he has the best winning percentage of 21.42 percent. Read: Mominul reluctant to continue as Test captain; informs BCB Bangladesh's top three most successful Test captains Player Match Win Loss Draw Winning % Shakib Al Hasan 14 3 11 0 21.42 Mushfiqur Rahim 34 7 18 9 20.58 Mominul Haque 17 3 12 2 17.64    Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ However, the ace all-rounder has the habit of skipping bilateral series, especially in the last five years. Reportedly, the BCB’s first choice is Shakib Al Hasan, but it depends on his commitment and desire to captain the Test side. Tamim Iqbal The BCB may turn their focus on ODI captain Tamim Iqbal if they fail to reach an agreement with Shakib. Right now, Tamim’s focus is to build an ideal squad for the ODI side and make the Bangladesh team a competitive one for the 2023 World Cup. In quest of that, Tamim has been doing well so far. That is why the left-handed batter may not be so keen on taking the role. However, there is no doubt that Tamim would be a perfect fit for the role. Read: Bangladesh vs West Indies Series 2022: Full Fixtures and Squads Mehidy Hasan Miraz Many consider Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the next Test captain of Bangladesh. But at the moment, he may not be an ideal choice given the fact that many senior players are still playing the longer-version format. He has the potential to lead Bangladesh, but at the moment he is suited to the vice-captaincy role. Litton Das Appointing Litton Das as Test captain can be a suicidal decision. Litton is in the form of his life at the moment as he has been one of the top run scorers in the Test format since 2021. Giving Litton the leadership role could put him under immense pressure, which could possibly affect his batting performance. However, many want the board to give Litton a chance to lead the Bangladesh Test side. Will the BCB take the risk and hand over the post to Litton? On top of that, Litton has to convince everyone that he is ready to lead the team. Mushfiqur Rahim Mushfiqur has led Bangladesh in 34 matches, most by any captain. Under his leadership, Bangladesh have won seven matches, most by any captain. He has the second-best winning ratio, at 20.58 percent. Mr. Dependable made two brilliant hundred in the latest series against Sri Lanka. Everything is perfectly matched for Mushfiqur to take the role. Then why doesn’t BCB consider him a potential replacement in the first place? Mushfiqur was ousted from the post in 2017 because the board did not believe in his development as a leader. However, the BCB may consider him as well if everyone steps back to take the role. Read Is Mominul doing enough as Test Captain? Verdict The BCB has been put under pressure as a result of Mominul Haque's decision to resign as Bangladesh Test cricket captain just ahead of the upcoming away series. Because the West Indies tour is rapidly approaching, the BCB must move quickly to appoint a new Test captain. With the future in mind, the BCB will hopefully name a new captain who is fit to lead Bangladesh Test cricket forward.

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque said they are confident of winning the two-match series in Sri Lanka even without the service of Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman who are busy playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders and Rajasthan Royals respectively.  A 21-member preliminary Test squad of Bangladesh is all set to fly to Sri Lanka on Monday for a two-match Test series against the hosts. The series will begin on April 21 at Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy. Both the matches will take place at the same venue.  Bangladesh’s last tour was to New Zealand where the Tigers failed to come victorious in any of six limited-over matches against the hosts. Now they are in dire need to bounce back.  Shakib and Mustafizur would have been Bangladesh’s biggest weapons in the Sri Lanka tour. But the Tigers are set to miss their service as both of them were allowed to skip this tour for IPL. Despite their absence, Mominul believes that Bangladesh has the ability to outplay Sri Lanka.  Also read: Bangladesh preliminary Test squad to fly for Sri Lanka Monday noon “I don’t think we cannot win without Shakib and Mustafizur,” Mominul told the reporters on Sunday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium after a practice session. “We have more players in our team. They don’t have 10-12 hands (to play better than others). We also don’t have many hands. I don’t think their absence will make any impact. We couldn’t come up as a team in recent time and that’s why we have been failing to bring the result to tour favour. This is as simple as it.” Mominul led the Tigers in six Tests so far, and the Tigers lost in all occasions except one against Zimbabwe. The other five matches were part of the World Test Championship. The forthcoming Sri Lanka series is also a part of the same event. 

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque insisted that the Tigers are favourites to win the two-match Test series starting from Tuesday in Chattogram, but he also said the West Indies have the ability to pose a big challenge despite missing some of their key men.

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque and his wife Fariha Bashar have been tested positive for Covid-19. Mominul himself confirmed it on Tuesday.

Bangladesh national cricket team to play the second 2-day intra-squad practice game from Monday. They played the first two-squad game on October 2 and 3. The match will be played at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque said that everything seems to be new to him since he joined the individual training programme arranged by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. 

Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque says mental fitness is also important for cricketers to stay strong during this coronavirus pandemic.