Bangladesh Cricket Board appoints Shakib as ODI captain for Asia Cup and World Cup

The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Friday named Shakib Al Hasan as its captain for the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup.

The allrounder will replace Tamim Iqbal, who resigned from the captaincy because of uncertainty around his fitness.

Shakib is now the captain for Bangladesh in all three formats of cricket after being earlier appointed as ODI skipper. "Shakib is the easiest choice as the captain for his experience and influence,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan said. "So he was our obvious choice.”

Vice-captain Liton Das and allrounder Mehidy Hasan were also candidates but the BCB felt Shakib was best equipped for dealing with the pressure of a big tournament like the World Cup.

"Pressure is a big factor. You can’t compare the World Cup pressure and pressure in a bilateral series. Shakib is a performer and he knows how to handle the pressure in crucial tournament and moment. At this moment there is no one better than him,” Nazmul added.

Shakib also captained Bangladesh in the ODI format from 2009-11, including the 2011 World Cup. He was the deputy to frequently-injured Mashrafe Bin Mortaza from 2015-17 and led three more ODIs. Shakib has so far led Bangladesh in 19 tests and 39 T20s. The last of his 52 ODIs as captain was in 2017.

Tamim has already been ruled out of the Asia Cup that starts on Aug.30. But he is expected to be fit in time for the ODI series against New Zealand that starts on Sept. 21 and the ODI World Cup that follows.

Tamim’s resignation as captain came less than a month after he suddenly retired from international cricket but reversed the decision in 28 hours following a meeting with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Associated Press