Dhaka: All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed Bangladesh ODI captain once again and will lead the national team in the Asia Cup and World Cup 2023.
Shakib takes over after Tamim Iqbal resigned on August 3 after being ruled out of the Asia Cup due to a back injury. Shakib takes over at a key moment for Bangladesh, as the Asia Cup is followed by a home ODI series against New Zealand in September before the ODI World Cup begins on October 5 in India.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan announced the news during a surprise press conference at his Dhaka residence.
"Shakib Al Hasan is the captain for the Asia Cup, New Zealand series, and World Cup. We will speak more to him when he returns to Bangladesh [from Lanka Premier League]. We have to know his long-term plan. I spoke to him on the phone yesterday. But it is better if we talk to him in person since he is busy with a franchise league currently. We will also talk about which format he will keep leading, whether it is all three formats or one or two of them," Hassan was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
"There was never any confusion. I told you before. He is the obvious choice. Who else can lead? But we had to talk to him before appointing him. Nobody should think anything else. Shakib is the captain. He was always the main choice," said the BCB president.
Hassan also stated that the Asia Cup squad will be the same as the World Cup. "They have just one spot open. We still don't know about Tamim Iqbal who is recovering from a back injury. We might trial one or two openers in the Asia Cup," he said.
Shakib is currently Bangladesh's skipper across all three forms, having begun his third tenure as Test and T20I captain last year.
The star all-rounder has so far led Bangladesh in 19 Tests and 39 T20Is. Shakib also led Bangladesh in 49 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) between 2009 and 2011, winning 22 of them.
The leadership move comes after Tamim withdrew as Bangladesh's ODI captain due to concerns about his fitness as he recovers from a back ailment. While Tamim will miss the Asia Cup, which begins on August 30, he wants to be healthy for the ODI series against New Zealand, which begins on September 21, and the ODI World Cup that follows.
Tamim resigned less than a month after reconsidering his emotional decision to withdraw from international cricket. He retired on July 6, but Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to reconsider the same afternoon.
The squad for Bangladesh is yet to be revealed for the 2023 Asia Cup, which will take place in Pakistan and Sri Lanka between August 30 and September 17. (ANI)
