Veteran all-rounder Shakib al Hasan will lead Bangladesh in the 2023 Asia Cup and the 50-over World Cup that follows. The development comes after Tamim Iqbal stepped down as Bangladesh's ODI skipper, with his back injury ruling him out of the Asia Cup.
The 36-year-old, who is now Bangladesh's captain across formats, skippered them in 49 ODIs between 2009 and 2011, winning 22 of them. He stood in for Mashrafe Mortaza in three more ODIs between 2015 and 2017. Notably, the premier all-rounder has led Bangladesh in 19 Tests and 39 T20Is and the last of 52 one-dayers as captain in 2017.
BCB President says Shakib al Hasan was their main choice as captain:
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan underlined that they will speak to Shakib about his long-term plan as captain, but stated that he was always an automatic choice as skipper. As quoted by ESPN Cricinfo, he said during a press conference.
"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. 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."
Tamim Iqbal likely to be fit for home series against New Zealand:
Meanwhile, veteran opener Tamim Iqbal is currently recovering from a back injury due to which he will miss the 2023 Asia Cup. Hence, the left-hander is likely to return to fitness for the ODI series against New Zealand, starting on September 21st and the World Cup that follows.
On 6th July, Tamim had announced his retirement from international cricket, but reversed his decision after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina requested him to.
