Last Updated:
Shanto, who was appointed as Bangladesh all-format captain in February 2024, is reportedly set to step down from his role at the end of the Test series against South Africa.
Senior spinner Taijul Islam, who has played 48 Tests, 20 ODIs, and two T20Is for Bangladesh since making his international debut against the West Indies in September 2014, said on Monday (October 28) that he is fully prepared to take the Test captaincy. Bangladesh current captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is reportedly set to step down from his role at the end of the ongoing two-match Test series against South Africa.
Taijul, who said that he is not aware of Najmul’s decision to quit captaincy, added his name to the list. “I haven’t heard anything on this matter (regarding Najmul quitting from captaincy). It’s not part of our role; I’m not fully informed on this,” Taijul told reporters on the eve of the second Test against South Africa at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
“Having played for 10 years, I’m fully prepared (for captaincy),” he added.
32-year-old Taijul picked up a total of eight wickets (5+3) in the series opener against South Africa in Mirpur last week, but his effort went in vain as the hosts lost the match by seven wickets. In the first innings of the first Test, Bangladeshi batters could only manage to score 106 runs, and Taijul feels the batters need to take more responsibility in the second Test if they want to save themselves from the humiliation of losing series in front of home fans.
“Our goal remains the same: we’ll play to win. As for the match conditions, we’ll understand them once the game unfolds. But the focus will be on playing as a team, whether it’s batting, bowling, or fielding. We’ll do our best to win,” he told reporters.
“Every match is an opportunity. From that perspective, I think this is another chance for the batters. We haven’t performed on the level as expected as a team, although some have had individual performances in different matches. If we can build two or three partnerships in a game and one or two players score a century, our target will be much bigger and everyone’s working hard and is fully committed.”
Shakib unsure about playing Afghanistan ODIs
In another big news, it has been reported by Cricbuzz that former Bangladeshi captain and legendary all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is unsure about playing in the ODI series against Afghanistan next month. Bangladesh is scheduled to face Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in the UAE from November 6.
Discover more from Divya Bharat 🇮🇳
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.