Mehidy Hasan Miraz says he’s mentally prepared for sudden changes—just as unexpectedly as he received the ODI captaincy, he knows the role could be taken away at any time.
In a surprising move, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Miraz as the new ODI captain, replacing Najmul Hossain Shanto. Though the leadership change sparked some debate, Miraz remains hopeful that Shanto will fully support him.
Miraz and Shanto have a long history together, playing side by side since the Under-15 level. In the 2016 U-19 World Cup, Miraz captained the side while Shanto played under him. Since then, the roles have reversed in the national team, with Miraz playing under Shanto’s leadership for the past three years.
It was widely expected that Shanto would lead the team in both the Test and ODI series during the upcoming Sri Lanka tour. But on Thursday evening, BCB issued a press release announcing Shanto’s removal as ODI captain. The decision was made earlier that day during an emergency Zoom meeting with board directors.
That’s when Miraz first got the call about his new role. Speaking at a press conference on Friday at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, the new ODI skipper shared how he was informed.
“Yesterday, [Cricket Operations Chairman] Nazmul Abedeen Fahim Sir called me and said, ‘We’re thinking of giving you this responsibility. A quick decision is needed since we have matches coming up and we need to finalize the ODI squad.’ That’s when he told me about the captaincy,” said Miraz.
While BCB explained its reasoning for appointing Miraz, they didn’t clarify why Shanto was suddenly removed. Miraz himself isn’t sure what led to the decision, but he’s mentally prepared for any future changes as well.
“I don’t know how the decision was made. As far as I know, such decisions come through board meetings—no one takes them alone. Situations can change suddenly, and we all try to stay mentally prepared for that,” he added.
Meanwhile, media reports suggest Shanto was not pleased with the board’s decision and is even considering stepping down from the Test captaincy.
Naturally, Miraz was asked if this abrupt leadership change might affect team harmony. He expressed strong confidence in Shanto’s continued support.
“I don’t think this will affect the dressing room atmosphere. At the end of the day, we all play for Bangladesh. Things like this never affect my relationship with Shanto. When he was captain, I supported him a lot. I believe he’ll do the same for me. In fact, we’ve already spoken about this,” Miraz said.
“He told me, ‘I never felt any special status because of the captaincy.’ I hope I can adopt the same mindset. We’ll work together for Bangladesh and try to take the team to a better place.”
Bangladesh’s ODI team has been struggling in recent years and currently sits at No. 10 in the ICC rankings. Miraz wants to collaborate with his predecessor to reverse that trend.
“I’ve spoken with Shanto. We’ve been playing together since childhood, from U-15. For us, who the captain is doesn’t matter as much—playing as a united team is what counts,” he said.
“Whenever we’ve talked, we’ve focused on how far we can take Bangladesh. The senior players brought the team this far, and now it’s our turn to take responsibility. We’re going through a tough phase, but insha’Allah, we’ll get through it soon.”
