Yesterday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) called an emergency board meeting to talk about who should be captain for ODIs. Even though everyone thought that the leader would be named on the day, the BCB chose to put off the choice.
During the meeting, it was decided that BCB president Nazmul Hassan would talk with possible candidates about the skipper job.
Shakib Al Hasan, who is already the captain of Bangladesh in Tests and Twenty20 Internationals, is still in the best situation to get the job. BCB sources say, however, that the board is worried that giving Shakib the captaincy of all three forms may be too much for the player, especially with the Asia Cup and World Cup coming up soon.
A BCB source said, “We have options, it’s not like we don’t have options, but we want to know what the board directors are thinking.”
After the meeting, Jalal Yunus, who is in charge of cricket affairs for the BCB, came to talk to the reporters about possible prospects.
“You know that Shakib and Liton [Das] are there, and we also have the talented Miraz. “We will talk to them,” Jalal said to the press yesterday.
There was no way to know if Shakib had talked with anyone. It is odd, though, that after an EGM, no big decisions were made. Even as late as yesterday, BCB officials said that a decision would be made on Tuesday.
The deadline for the Asia Cup team is August 12, and the board would have to name the leader and the team by then. The BCB wants to know how Shakib feels about being captain of the ODI team and for how long he would be in charge.
Some of the BCB leaders still didn’t know what Shakib wanted. The all-rounder has a lot of different things to do, which keeps him busy. Shakib has to make money, but the all-rounder is still interested in franchise cricket. Since his family lives in the United States, it is hard for him to lead the team in all three forms.
The BCB wants to choose a leader for the Asia Cup, the One-Day International series in New Zealand, and the One-Day International World Cup in India. Before they decide who will be leader, they want to know what Shakib’s plan is.
During the EGM, the board members talked about who they think would be good for the job. Since Shakib had more knowledge, he was the most popular choice.
The BCB wants a long-term answer, so they want to know if Shakib plans to be leader in all three forms after the World Cup. But time is running out, as September 5 is the date for naming the World Cup team.
Sources say that split management for white-ball and red-ball forms is also being talked about. If Shakib wants to be captain of the white-ball team instead of the Test team, the Test skipper could change.
“The Asia Cup is coming up, so we want to make the Asia Cup leader announcement first. Also, the other two forms are there, and we want to think about them and then give duty,” Jalal told the media yesterday.
Even if Shakib doesn’t think of himself as captain right now, the BCB would still choose him. Shakib is 37 years old, so if he doesn’t want to be captain of the team after the World Cup, the board would have to talk about it.
But for now, while BCB talks with possible options, the ball may very well be in Shakib’s hands. Even board members are frustrated that the command issue hasn’t been solved before big events.