A big development is coming out regarding the Bangladesh cricket team. The BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) has decided to appoint Najmul Hossain Shanto as an all-format Bangladesh cricket captain for the next year. This decision has been taken after a lack of clarity on Shakib al Hasan’s availability due to his eye problem. BCB’s president, Nazmul Hasan announced on Monday (February 12) after board directors meeting at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. A few more developments have happened in Bangladesh cricket. We will talk about it in detail. So let’s dive into it quickly.
Najmul Hossain Shanto Replaces Shakib Al Hasan As Bangladesh’s Captain
The BCB has decided to go with Najmul Hossain Shanto as an all-format captain for the next year. His first assignment as an all-format Bangladesh cricket captain was to start with the Sri Lanka series at home.
After the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 season, Bangladesh is set to host Sri Lanka for 3 T20Is, 3 ODIs, and 2 Tests. The series will commence with T20Is on March 04 at Sylhet. Also, it was given that the Bangladesh cricket team’s captain will change because Shakib doesn’t want to continue in the role.
Right now, Shanto is playing for Sylhet Strikers in the BPL 2024. Mohammad Mithun is leading the side. Their campaign is not going well as they found themselves at No. 6 in the points table with 3 wins in 9 games.
What happened to Shakib al Hasan?
The lack of clarity on Shakib al Hasan’s availability due to his eye problem led to the decision to appoint Najmul Hossain Shanto as the Bangladesh cricket captain in all three formats.
Shakib has been facing problems in his left eye for a while now. It is learned that he has also played the ICC ODI WC 2023 with the same problem as well. Also, an uncertainty on his participation in a Sri Lanka series is still a concern for BCB.
What BCB President Have To Say About This?
While addressing the media, BCB’s president Nazmul Hasan said they decided to make Shanto a captain after talking to Shakib. He said that Shakib’s eye issue is still causing problems. In the context of the upcoming ICC World T20, Nazmul said they don’t want to take any chances.
“We have decided to appoint Najmul Hossain Shanto across all formats. He will serve the national team as skipper this year. I have talked to Shakib Al Hasan. His eye issue is still causing problems. There is some uncertainty regarding his participation in Sri Lanka. The World Cup is very near. So we didn’t want to take any chance. We are not sure about Shakib’s availability and that is why we picked Shanto for all three formats.- Nazmul Hasan said after the board meeting while addressing the media.
Changes in the selection panel as well
Not just in the captaincy, the BCB has decided to appoint Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, who worked in different capacities, as the chief selector for the next two years.
Earlier, reports suggested that Minhajul Abedin and Habibul Bashar (now former members of the selection panel) are unlikely to retain their spots. The BCB has decided to retain only Abdur Razzak from the previous selection panel. Along with Razzak and Hossain, the other member of the selection panel is former cricketer Hannan Sarkar.
BCB’s president Nazmul Hossain talked about the appointment of new members of the selection panel while addressing the media. He also said Minhajul and Bashar will continue to work with the board in different capacities.
Tamim Iqbal and Ebadot Hossain’s absence from the central contract
The star left-handed batter is not a part of a central contract list by BCB this year. It is learned that the batter himself requested to not consider him for the same. Nazmul said the board will connect with Tamim to talk about his international career.
Ebadot Hossain and Mossaddek Hossain also miss out on the central contract. On the other hand, young stars like Towrid Hridoy and Tanzim Sakib have been rewarded a central contract by the BCB.
Conclusion
So these are some big developments regarding the Bangladesh cricket team. One of the major ones is Najmul Hossain Shanto becoming an all-three formats captain. Let’s see how he does in his captaincy. He has led the side before as well, in the absence of Shakib. And Bangladesh’s head coach, Chandika Hathurusingha was impressed with Shanto and felt it was the right time to give him a long-term captaincy.
What do you think? Will Shanto make an impact with his captaincy for Bangladesh in the future? Comment your opinions below.
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FAQs:-
1. How many international games Shanto has played till now?
Till now, Najmul Hossain Shanto has played 25 Tests, 42 ODIs, and 28 T20Is. Overall, he has scored 3253 runs and has 14 half-centuries and 7 centuries to his name.
2. What is the schedule of the Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka series?
The series will commence with 3 T20Is, starting on March 04. March 06 and March 09 are the dates for the next two T20Is. Sylhet will host the T20I series.
As far as ODIs, Chattogram will host the ODI series. The three ODIs will happen on March 13, 15, and 18.
At last, the two tests will start on March 22 and March 30 at Sylhet and Chattogram respectively.
