 Mortaza (left) and Shakib will lead Bangladesh in the Caribbean |
Bangladesh have named pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza as captain for their upcoming tour of the West Indies, replacing batsman Mohammad Ashraful. A Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman said: "The decision was taken with the intention of relieving the load so Ashraful can play his natural game. "We are confident without the burden of captaincy his batting would flourish." Under Ashraful, captain since 2007, the Tigers went out of the recent World Twenty20 at the group stage. He had taken over the captaincy from Habibul Bashar at the age of 22 after the 2007 World Cup, but Ashraful's leadership saw Bangladesh win only eight of 38 one-day internationals, and lose 12 of their 13 Tests, while his batting also suffered.  | 606: DEBATE |
However, Ashraful's team also suffered after 13 players, including Bashar, defected to the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League, rendering them unavailable for national selection Right-armer Mortaza, 25, is Bangladesh's leading paceman and has taken 78 wickets in 35 Tests, while capturing 135 victims in 103 ODIs. "We believe we have picked the ideal person as captain," spokesman Mohammed Jalaj Yunus added. "Apart from his obvious match-winning ability, Mortaza is a proven fighter and has the experience. He can inspire and motivate the team. "This is a new challenge for him and we know that he loves challenges." All-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will be Mortaza's vice captain in the Caribbean, where they will arrive on 29 June to play two Tests, three ODIs and a Twenty20 international.
Bangladesh squad for West Indies tour: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Shahadat Hossain, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Imrul Kayes, Mahbubul Alam, Enamul Haque Jr, Saghir Hossain (wk). Stand-by players: Abdur Razzak, Naeem Islam, Nazmul Hossain, Shamsur Rahman, Syed Rasel.
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