Asia Cup 2023: Shakib al Hasan To Become Bangladesh's Captain After Tamim Iqbal's Captaincy Resignation

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is keen to understand Shakib Al Hasan‘s opinion before reassigning him as the ODI captain of the side after Tamim Iqbal;l’s stepping down. Tamim stepped down from ODI captaincy last week and is also out of Asia Cup due to injury concerns.

Tamim’s stepping down has vacated the captaincy spot and Shakib Al Hasan is the obvious name that the management is reckoning. However, BCB President Nazmul Hasan said that they need to understand Shakib’s availability before naming him as the next ODI skipper.

Shakib Al Hasan is the current Test and T20I skipper of Bangladesh. He had a previous stint as ODI captain and even led the side in the 2011 ODI World Cup.

Initially, it was Litton Das who was the possible replacement for ODI captaincy after Tamim’s stepping down for Asia Cup 2023. However, now the management is keen to discuss the possibilities regarding Shakib as he is far more experienced as a player and as a captain than Litton.

“We have not discussed captaincy yet. We have to take a break and think about it. As I have said before, if it was one series, we could have gone with the vice-captain (Litton) but now we have to think long-term,” Nazmul told reporters in Dhaka on Saturday (August 5).

The BCB President further pointed out two problems they are currently facing as they try to find the next ODI skipper for Bangladesh. The first is longevity and the second is able to deal with the pressure of leading the side in tournaments like the Asia Cup and World Cup.

BCB Pondering Over Shakib Al Hasan As Next ODI Captain, Doubts His Longevity

“There are two problems. If we think about the long term it is one thing. But there is the World Cup as well and the pressure of the World Cup is not small. If I select a new guy and whether he can take this pressure – we need to consider that as well. If we choose someone on a long term basis and he is not available after one year, what will we do? So we need to discuss these things,” he said.

“Shakib is the obvious choice but can you say he will play for two years? We don’t know that and so we need to know his plan and talk with the board. I think the easiest choice is Shakib and there is no problem with it,” he further added.

With the Asia Cup starting on August 30, Bangladesh Cricket Board are running a race against time to name their next ODI skipper. They start their preparations for the Asia Cup after coach Chandika Hathurusingha joins the squad on August 8.