In a development of great importance to Bangladesh cricket, Nazmul Hossain Shanto has resigned from his position as T20I team captain. He will remain the Test and ODI side’s captain. The decision was reportedly made by Shanto when he spoke with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Farooq Ahmed about his desire to end his tenure as T20I team captain.
Shanto Steps Down from T20I Captaincy
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The BCB president has termed the decision of Shanto to relinquish the T20I captaincy as final. He confirmed that the board had accepted the player’s choice. Speaking on the matter, Farooq Ahmed revealed that Shanto communicated his preference to no longer captain the T20I side. However, with no T20 series scheduled in the immediate future, the BCB has opted not to rush into appointing a new T20I captain at this stage.
Farooq, further said, “As of now, it’s too premature to consider this issue, in light of T20 being far away as it will start only from a few months now.” The board seems optimistic and said confidently that Shanto would definitely regale in ODIs and test captaincy positions after recovering.
Shanto Mishaps
Shanto was appointed as captain of Bangladesh across all formats in February 2024 after a match-winning show for his team Bangladesh against New Zealand both at home and abroad. He took over in the place of regular captain Shakib Al Hasan but led his team to impressive results initially. In the case of T20Is, however, his leadership has been questioned due to failure on the part of Bangladesh to go through a consistent run in the shortest format.
The T20I team lost the bilateral series to Sri Lanka and the USA with disappointing defeats. This led to the question of how the team can perform under pressure. Although the T20 World Cup reached the Super 8 stage, the entire performance in the format was far from satisfactory enough to keep him as the T20I captain for Shanto.
In November, Shanto got injured while playing for Bangladesh in the ODI series against Afghanistan. This injury led to his missing the subsequent tour of the West Indies. The injury forced him to step down from both Test and ODI series captaincy. During his absence, other cricketers like Liton Das and Mehdi Hasan Miraz filled the shoes. Miraz took up the responsibility of Test and ODI captaincy.
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Despite the setbacks, the team could draw the Test series 1-1, while they lost the ODI series 3-0. The T20 series against the West Indies was a comprehensive 3-0 win under Liton Das’s captaincy, indicating the strength of leadership options within the team.
The Contenders for T20I Captaincy
The next question is who will take the mantle of T20I captaincy after Shanto’s resignation. Liton Das, who led Bangladesh to a 3-0 T20I series victory over the West Indies, is a very strong contender for the role. However, recent form in white-ball cricket has been a cause of concern, which may not be in his favor. The inconsistency of Liton at the bat level in recent matches may have an impact on BCB’s decision.
Mehdi Hasan Miraz, who performed well in the absence of Shanto, is also a great candidate for the T20I captaincy. Having captained Bangladesh during the West Indies tour, Miraz has shown his leadership qualities and can be considered for the future.
Bangladesh’s Future Leadership and T20I Plans
The Bangladesh cricket team is scheduled to play the next T20 series against Zimbabwe in March. This would give the BCB a much clearer picture of the options for T20I leadership since there are no immediate T20I fixtures scheduled. Thus, the board is likely to take its time assessing the best candidate for the role while keeping its focus on Shanto’s recovery and return to captaincy in Tests and ODIs.
The leadership roles within the team will be thoroughly monitored in the interim as Bangladesh Cricket Board seeks to create a stable squad in all formats. So, though the team has been struggling in T20s, experience and maturity in the squad are yet to bring about some positive enhancements.
Shanto’s resignation from the T20I captaincy marked the end of an era in Bangladesh’s leadership in the shortest format, but he will remain the skipper of Tests and ODIs. This means stability for those formats. The BCB will now determine the future of T20I leadership with Liton Das and Mehdi Hasan Miraz likely to take on the roles. Before the much-awaited T20 series, Bangladesh is set to prepare for what will look like a new team that will unite and become effective in all forms.
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