BANGLADESH CRICKET
Mehidy Hasan Miraz takes over as Bangladesh’s ODI captain © AFP
Bangladesh made a sudden decision to remove Najmul Hossain Shanto as the ODI skipper and replace him with Mehidy Hasan for a one-year tenure. This unexpected call came around the time Shanto was meant to get together with head coach Phil Simmons to discuss the ODI squad for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka in July. He had to change his plans following a call from BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin to inform him about the board’s decision.
If insiders are to be believed, it was quite shocking for the southpaw as he was expecting to lead the ODI side in the coming days and even spoken about his plans with certain players regarding the Sri Lanka tour and was in the process of giving them role clarity in the ODI setup.
Cricbuzz understands Shanto had informed the board that he wanted to lead the team in Tests and ODIs when he quit T20I captaincy in order to concentrate on his batting. Once the board made the decision to give ODI leadership to Mehidy, he told them to let the spinner take over in Tests too as a different captain for each format didn’t seem the right way to go.
The appointment – for a period of 12 months – appears to suggest a lack of clarity from the board, given the next ODI World Cup is only in 2027. Mehidy is not taking over as captain in the best circumstances, but is unfazed by the situation.
“I don’t know how (the captaincy) was decided. It is usually done in a board meeting. Nobody can decide on their own. I think all of us are usually prepared mentally for any situation we may have to face (as far getting axed is concerned),” Mehidy told reporters on Friday.
“He was the ODI captain for a term, which had ended (in the Champions Trophy). They probably had conversations about the Test team. I am not sure if they spoke about the ODI team. Fahim sir (Nazmul Abedin – BCB cricket operation chairman) called me (yesterday) and said that they are going to give me the responsibility and he said that they don’t have much time. They have to take a decision quickly. He said that they are planning accordingly.”
Mehidy shares a good rapport with Shanto, who played with and under him at different age-group levels, including the U19 World Cup in 2016. He reckoned the opener will not have a problem playing under him again.
“He (Najmul) has been performing well in ODIs but it was the board’s decision (to change the captaincy). We may not have fulfilled expectations in terms of team results during this period,” he said.
“I don’t think it will have an effect on the dressing room (change in captaincy). We are all playing for the country. These things won’t bother Shanto and me. I helped him a lot during his captaincy. He will do the same. He will help me. We want to take Bangladesh forward,” Mehidy said.
“Shanto and I have been playing together since our Under-15s. We spoke about taking Bangladesh forward, it doesn’t matter who is the captain. We have to play as a team. Our senior players brought us to a stage, and now we want to take the team further. It is our responsibility. We are going through a bad time but I hope that we can get over it quickly,” he added.
© Cricbuzz
