#AsiaCup2023—After Tamim Iqbal Fiasco, Bangladesh Get a New Skipper

Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Bengal Tigers across three formats
Pic Source: Internet
Dhaka, 12 August: In a major setback to Tamim Iqbal’s chances of leading Bangladesh in the ODI format, the star opening batter has been ruled out of the upcoming Asia Cup due to his back injury.

In the absence of Iqbal, Bangladesh’s key all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed as captain for the forthcoming Asia Cup in Pakistan and Sri Lanka, and the World Cup tournament due this year in October in India.

This way, Hasan will lead the Bengal Tigers in all three formats of the game.

Shakib Al Hassan’s appointment as skipper comes after a lot of drama and controversy, including Tamim Iqbal’s recent resignation and subsequent return to the national side. On August 3, in a setback of sorts, Iqbal was ruled out of the Asia Cup 2023 due to a back injury.

Bangladesh will host New Zealand in September for an ODI series soon after the Asia Cup. After the bilateral series against the Kiwis, Bangladesh will travel to India for the forthcoming ODI World Cup tournament that commences on 5 October.

Nazmul Hassan, President Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made a surprise announcement about Shakib Al Hassan’s appointment as skipper in all formats during a press conference in Dhaka.

“Shakib Al Hasan is the captain for the Asia Cup, New Zealand series and World Cup,” Nazmul Hassan said, adding that “We will speak more to him when he returns to Bangladesh [from Lanka Premier League]. We have to know his long-term plan. I spoke to him on the phone yesterday. But it is better if we talk to him in person since he is busy with a franchise league currently. We will also talk about which format he will keep leading, whether it is all three formats or one or two of them.

“There was never any confusion. I told you before. He is the obvious choice. Who else can lead? But we had to talk to him before appointing him. Nobody should think anything else. Shakib is the captain. He was always the main choice.”