Superstar all-rounder officially replaces Najmul Hossain Shanto as Bangladesh captain

Bangladesh National Cricket Team skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has officially been replaced in the role ahead of the third ODI of the three-match series against the Afghanistan National Cricket Team.

Najmul Hossain Shanto has been replaced as the captain of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team because he has been ruled out of the third ODI match due to a groin injury.

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Mehidy Hasan Miraz replaces Najmul Hossain Shanto as captain

Bangladesh will lock horns with Afghanistan in the final ODI on Monday, November 11, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in UAE. Ahead of the match, the Bangla Tigers faced a huge blow as their skipper got injured.

Najmul Hossain Shanto suffered an injury while fielding in the second ODI that had forced him to leave the field at a point. When he left the ground, it was Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who was seen doing captaincy on the field.

"Due to a groin injury Najmul is not playing the last game against Afghanistan," BCB chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said as quoted by Cricbuzz.

Now, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be leading Bangladesh in the match against Afghanistan and he will continue in this role till Najmul Hossain Shanto fully recovers to return to cricketing action.

Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out of the Test series against the West Indies

Najmul Hossain Shanto ruled out of the 3rd ODI against Afghanistan today, as well as the Test series against West Indies. Groin injury.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz will lead in his place.

— Mohammad Isam (@Isam84) November 11, 2024

After the final ODI against the Afghans, Bangladesh will be traveling to the West Indies for an all-format tour. The Tigers will play two Tests, three ODIs, and three T20Is on the West Indies tour later this month.

Meanwhile, Shanto has been ruled out of the Test series against West Indies, which will begin on November 22, as his injury is expected to heal only after two weeks.

An official told Cricbuzz that the medical team will decide whether Najmul will travel with the side to the West Indies or return home for further assessment.

"He (Najmul) is unlikely to be available for the opening Test against West Indies and now we have to see whether he should come back for rehabilitation or go with the team to West Indies. The decision will be taken by our medical team," said the official.

The AFG vs BAN ODI series is levelled at 1-1

Afghanistan had started off the series with a win in Sharjah by 92 runs on November 6. They posted a good total of 235 runs on the board, thanks to Mohammad Nabi (84) and Hashmatullah Shahidi's (52) brilliant knocks.

Bangladesh, despite the early dismissal of Tanzid Hasan, got off to a decent start. Soumya Sarkar (33) and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (47) scored good runs and Mehidy Hasan Miraz came up with a decent contribution of 28 runs.

They were heading towards the target quite well before an awful batting collapse happened and they suddenly went from 132/3 to 143/10 in no time.

Bangladesh made a comeback and won the second ODI by 68 runs. Batting first, Shanto's 76 runs helped the Tigers score 252 runs and then the bowlers restricted Afghanistan to 184 runs to level the series.