New Delhi:
Shakib Al Hasan had dazzled the cricketing world during the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup when his all-round exploits saw him smash 606 runs and 11 wickets, which included a fifty and five wickets in the game against Afghanistan. Bangladesh could not enter the knock-out stages and Shakib was appointed as the skipper for the one-off Test against Afghanistan. However, there was embarrasment in store as Bangladesh lost the one-off Test to Afghanistan by 224 runs. With that loss, Bangladesh became the first team to lose to 10 different nations in Tests and this prompted Shakib to reconsider his captaincy position.
"It will be best if I didn't have to lead. I personally believe it will be good for my game. And if I have to continue leading, then obviously there is a lot to discuss about (with the board)," Shakib told reporters after the Afghanistan loss.
However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board chief Nazmul Hasan has reiterated that Shakib will remain the Test captain but has criticised his attitude towards the longer format of the game, saying he did not have much interest.
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"We have noticed he did not have much interest in Test (cricket). You have seen that when we were touring foreign countries, he wanted to have a break during the Tests. Naturally he might have less interest. But we never heard that he has less interest in captaincy. If he is skipper, then he has to play. If you are not skipper, then you can skip," Hassan said.
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Hassan said he spoke with Shakib on Tuesday after the Afghanistan loss, but that the player did not raise any concerns. "Our boys are emotional. I will speak with him when things get calm," he said. Shakib will now lead Bangladesh in a tri-nation Twenty20 tournament involving Afghanistan and Zimbabwe starting in Dhaka on Friday.
Afghanistan created history in the one-off Test as they became the first team after Australia to win two out of their first three Tests. Rashid Khan was the star with 11 wickets and a fifty in the match as Afghanistan secured their first win against a top-10 Test playing nation, having earlier defeated Ireland at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in 2018.
