All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz was on Thursday appointed as Bangladesh ODI captain for one year with next month’s three-match series in Sri Lanka his first assignment at the helm. Mehidy Hasan Miraz will take over the charge of the one-day side from Najmul Hossain Shanto, who will continue as the Test skipper while Litton Das will remain Bangladesh captain in T20s.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s natural leadership qualities face a significant test as he attempts to revive Bangladesh’s flagging ODI fortunes. The new captain takes over just as his team has sunk to its lowest ICC ranking in 19 years. Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s first assignment will be in Sri Lanka where Bangladesh play their hosts in three ODIs from July 8.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz has said that he is targeting a series win in a country where Bangladesh has won just four out of 36 ODIs. Bangladesh will be playing 50-over cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy in February this year, where they made a swift exit after defeats to India and New Zealand.
As one of Bangladesh’s rising all-rounders, Mehidy Hasan Miraz has often been labeled as the natural successor to Shakib Al Hasan. With consistent performances, both with bat and ball, Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s emergence has sparked conversations about him filling the shoes of Bangladesh’s legendary all-rounder.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz – An effective all rounder for Bangladesh
Bangladesh know that Shakib Al Hasan is their leading cricketer. He has been the top-ranked allrounder in one format or other for a stretch of time that goes as far back as 2009. He was among the wickets on Saturday too. His class endures but it looks like he’s finally got some competition.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz doesn’t think he is the next Shakib. That is actually the source of all his confidence. He doesn’t bring himself down by comparing himself to one of the game’s greats. He just does his thing. Since his international debut against England in 2016, whenever Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been asked to step up, he has stepped up. That confidence has now spread into his batting. The only thing is, nobody is sure where he will bat next.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz , who was Player of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, struck his first fifty in a senior World Cup 2023 match and took his first Player-of-the-Match award in the tournament. He has produced some great performances since December 2022, not least those two great wins over India. Mehidy Hasan continued that run of form with the bat and never lost what he had with the ball. It seems as if the more responsibility he has on his shoulders, the better he plays.
Afghanistan, twice now, have borne the brunt of Mehidy Hasan’s great form. He struck a century, his first in ODIs, as an opener in the Asia Cup. At the World Cup, he hurt them a little with the ball and a little with the bat. Since then till ow the ongoing Sri Lanka ODI series Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been a vital cog in the Bangladesh squad and has now opened up on the policies of Bangladesh cricket ahead of the final ODI vs Sri Lanka.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz led particularly well at the age-group level. He is the most experienced Under-19 captain of all time, with a win percentage of 62.5 in Youth ODIs. Mehidy led Bangladesh to their first appearance in the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup in 2016, also winning the Player-of-the-Tournament award.
He went from cricket for boys to men in the same year, taking 19 wickets in his debut Test series against England. Mehidy settled into the senior team quickly and gained a reputation as a fast learner and an avid listener.Mehidy Hasan Miraz already has a high point as Bangladesh captain – a stirring Test match win over West Indies in Jamaica last November. Many of his team members were down with flu and others were battling poor form but they all rallied together to draw the series 1-1.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz was battered by bouncers and verbals in both Tests, but he fought hard against West Indies’ fast bowlers. It was a short stint but it gave a window into Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s style of leadership.Mehidy Hasan Miraz has been a successful top- and middle-order inclusion in ODIs since the 2023 World Cup, but he is open to a change if it suits the team better.
With 1617 runs and 110 wickets in 105 ODIs, Mehidy Hasan Miraz is currently ranked No. 4 among ODI All-rounders in the ICC RankingsHe is also part of an exclusive group of Bangladeshi cricketers, alongside Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan, to have completed the 1000 runs and 100 wickets double in the format. Ahead of the Sri Lankan tour Mehidy Hasan Miraz aims to bring glory days back to the Bangladesh cricket team.
 Mehidy Hasan Miraz aims to bring back glory days to Bangladesh
Mehidy Hasan Miraz confirmed that the recent ODI captaincy change will not affect either former captain Najmul Hossain Shanto or himself as they work together for the betterment of Bangladesh cricket.
In a surprising move, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the ODI captain for the next 12 months. The 27-year-old will lead the team starting from the upcoming three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka next month, succeeding Najmul Shanto, who remains the Bangladesh Test captain with Mehidy Hasan Miraz as his deputy.
“I don’t know how the captaincy was decided. It is usually done in a board meeting. Nobody can decide on their own. I think all of us are usually prepared mentally for any situation we may have to face,” Mehidy told reporters on Friday.
“He was the ODI captain for a term, which ended at the Champions Trophy. They probably had conversations about the Test team. I am not sure if they spoke about the ODI team. Fahim sir (Nazmul Abedin – BCB cricket operation chairman) called me yesterday and said they are giving me the responsibility and that they don’t have much time and need to take a decision quickly. They are planning accordingly.”
Mehidy Hasan Miraz shares a strong rapport with Shanto, having played alongside him and captained him at various age-group levels, including the 2016 U19 World Cup. He believes the opener will have no issues playing under his leadership again.
“He (Najmul) has been performing well in ODIs but it was the board’s decision to change the captaincy. We may not have fulfilled expectations in terms of team results during this period,” he said.
“I don’t think the change in captaincy will affect the dressing room. We are all playing for the country. These things won’t bother Shanto and me. I helped him a lot during his captaincy. He will do the same and help me. We want to take Bangladesh forward.”
“Shanto and I have been playing together since our Under-15s. We spoke about taking Bangladesh forward, it doesn’t matter who the captain is. We have to play as a team. Our senior players brought us to a certain stage, and now we want to take the team further. It is our responsibility. We are going through a rough time, but I hope we can get over it quickly,” Miraz added.
Shanto could feel hard done by, as he was averaging 51.27, including a century and four fifties, as the ODI captain. Bangladesh, however, won just four out of 13 games. Shakib Al Hasan, who was captain just before Shanto, also won just four out of 12 games.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz has said that he appreciates the board appointing him for an extended period – 12 months – but whether he will continue till the 2027 World Cup is a different matter. “Longer term captaincy is always ideal, but I think it is up to the board (whether the captaincy goes on till the 2027 World Cup).
The thinking is to get the team out of the current struggle. We have a number of ODIs in the next 12 months. Two senior players [Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim] retired from ODIs recently so those who will get the opportunity, have to get settled in the next 12 months.
Bangladesh’s ODI performance has been its only saving grace in international cricket for the last 15 years. The steady captaincy in this format, for the better part of the last 11 years under Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal has had a positive effect on the ODI performances. They have now landed on their third captain in two years. A natural leader, Mehidy Hasan Miraz will be expected to bring back some consistency into the role.
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