Bangladesh: Bangladesh middle-order batter Towhid Hridoy wants to focus on winning the three-match series against Afghanistan in UAE, keeping the captaincy issue away from him. Hridoy was reportedly to be considered for T20 captaincy as Najmul Hossain Shanto expressed his desire to quit captaincy from all formats of cricket. Even though Shanto is leading the side in Afghanistan, the discussion is still on in this regard.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Hridoy stated, “I don’t want to talk about this issue (on his possibility to lead the side in T20 cricket,” ahead of leaving the country for UAE. He emphasized the importance of the upcoming series, saying, “There is an important series ahead. We want to concentrate on this series only.” Despite playing their last ODI seven months ago when they took on Sri Lanka at home, Hridoy believes Bangladesh has the chance to beat Afghanistan. He added that the preparation for the series is satisfactory.
While the players who were part of the Test series again
st South Africa were busy playing the longer format, Hridoy and other cricketers honed their preparation and skill for the Afghanistan series. He remarked, “This is the format we play really well. Hopefully, we can make a good start to the series,” suggesting that a strong start would be a prelude to series victory. “We, in fact, need to make a good start. If we can play to our full potential, I think we can win the series.”
Hridoy, while remaining tight-lipped on the captaincy issue, stated, “Captaincy should be given to someone who can do well for the team. Whoever gets it, we all need to support him.” Despite Afghanistan becoming a strong contender against the Tigers, Bangladesh still holds the edge, winning 10 and losing six in 16 meetings between the two teams in the ODI format. The three ODIs against Afghanistan will be on 6, 9, and 11 November, with all matches scheduled at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.