Home ›› 29 May 2023 ›› Sport
Bangladesh will have a new captain in their upcoming one-off Test against Afghanistan, and based on the history, he might just get prepared for a tough time at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Tigers’ regular Test skipper Shakib Al Hasan is out with a right index finger injury, meaning either Liton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, or Najmul Hossain Shanto will lead the side in the Test against Afghans starting on June 14.
Bangladesh Cricket Board is yet to announce the squad for the Test although it is likely to be announced today, as per reports.
Bangladesh have had 11 Test captains so far, among which only two – Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib – managed to win their first match in charge.
Naimur Rahman led Bangladesh in their first-ever Test in 2000, where they lost the match to India by nine wickets.
Khaled Mashud, the second Test captain for Bangladesh, in his first Test as skipper a year later, lost to New Zealand by an innings and 52 runs.
Khaled Mahmud, who was appointed captain in 2003, lost his first Test to South Africa by an innings and 60 runs.
Habibul Bashar, who led the side from 2004 to 2007, lost his first Test to Zimbabwe by 183 runs.
Mohammad Ashraful lost his first Test as captain to Sri Lanka by an innings and 234 runs, which remains the heaviest defeat for a Bangladesh skipper on his captaincy debut.
Mashrafe won his first match as Test captain but did not take much part in it as he was injured, leading to vice-captain Shakib taking charge for the Test. In the following Test, Shakib won his first match as Test captain. However, those wins came against a second-string West Indies side as their regular players refused to play due to a feud with the board.
Shakib’s second tenure, though, started with a heavy battering from the Caribbeans as the Tigers lost by an innings and 219 runs, and his third term started against the same opposition in 2022, with a seven-wicket defeat.
Mushfiqur Rahim, who led the Tigers in 34 Tests, the most by a Bangladeshi, saw his first match, which was also against West Indies in 2011, end in a draw.
Tamim Iqbal only captained Bangladesh once as Mushfiq was injured in New Zealand in 2017, and the match ended in a nine-wicket defeat for Bangladesh.
Mahmudullah Riyad, who led the side in six matches in Shakib’s absence in 2018 and 2019, drew the first Test against Sri Lanka in 2018.
Mominul Haque, who was hastily appointed Test skipper following Shakib’s ban in 2019, lost his first Test to India by an innings and 130 runs.
