Mahmudullah for T20, Mominul Haque in Tests
Bangladesh cricket was dealt a crippling blow when their ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was given a two-year suspension due to match-fixing. There was talk that he would be unavailable for the India tour and was confirmed shortly after.
After the news had broken out, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) jumped on the case and immediately appointed captains for different formats: Mahmudullah as the T20I captain and Mominul Haque as the Test captain. They are scheduled to play three T20Is and two Test matches against India.
There are very few people who are questioning the timing of Shakib’s ban. Just recently, he led some Bangladesh players on a strike against the BCB, stating they won’t be participating in any level of cricket until their demands were met. BCB chief Nazmul Hassan, who said that Shakib’s ban was a conspiracy, gave in to the demands nonetheless.
Shakib called off the strike but the feud between him and the BCB didn’t stop. Shakib missed two T20 practice matches, resulting in his name being dropped from the list of players. However, there are reports that he was still on the list of players.
More recently, Hassan said that Shakib may not be able to participate in the tour, not citing any reasons. He then called for a meeting with other senior cricketers except for Shakib. The following evening, Shakib Al Hasan himself announced his suspension.
The team’s performance under the two new skippers remains to be seen.
The Bangladesh tour of India will begin on November 3 with three T20Is, ending on November 10. This will be followed by two Test matches that will be played from November 14 to 26. To find out more about the different cricket formats, visit Betwala’s page.
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