Mominul Haque Quits Bangladesh Test Captaincy; Says Not Right For Him To Do Captaincy

Mominul Haque resigned as Bangladesh’s Test captain on Tuesday (May 31), following the team’s series defeat at home against Sri Lanka. As per reports, Mominul told the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), that it isn’t ‘right’ for him to continue as captain and it would be better if someone else is given the responsibility.

Haque was made the Bangladesh captain in the longest format of the game in October 2019 and Bangladesh won just three matches under Mominul leadership. His leadership saw the historic moment of Bangladesh beating New Zealand for the first time in New Zealand.

But then they lost four of their next five Tests, falling to series defeats against both South Africa and Sri Lanka. As a Test captain, Mominul has compiled 912 runs in 17 games at a modest average of just over 31.

A Captain Has To Contribute Otherwise It Brings A Lot Of Pressure: Mominul Haque On Him Quitting As Bangladesh Test Captain

Captaincy burdened the best Bangladeshi opener in recent times as he averaged just 16.20 in 2022, with 162 runs from six matches. Overall, Bangladesh won just three Tests under Mominul leadership, losing 12 and drawing two.

ESPNCricinfo reported that after the loss to Sri Lanka in Dhaka in the second Test, Mominul met with the BCB president Nazmul Hassan, indicating his wish to step down from the captaincy in order to focus on his batting.

“When you play well, even if the team doesn’t win, you are still in a position to motivate them. I felt that captaining a side is tough when I am not scoring and team is not winning. I think it is best to quit the captaincy.

“I feel I should focus on my batting. It wasn’t a hard decision. A captain has to contribute otherwise it brings a lot of pressure. The board president told me to stay on but I don’t want to be the captain,” Mominul told reporters after the meeting with Nazmul Hasan, the BCB chief.

Mominul also said that the decision is now in the hands of the board in relation to appointing a new Test captain. The next board meeting is on June 2.

“He (Nazmul) did not say anything at all. I said that I want a break (from captaincy), as I want to concentrate on my batting as I feel it will be good for me. There is a board meeting in the coming days and they will decide there what they want to do,” he added.

Shakib Al Hasan is among the names being considered to replace Mominul, but a full-time captain is yet to be named.

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