Mahmudullah Riyad has experienced leadership difficulties since the T20 World Cup 2021. The Bangladesh Twenty20 team under his leadership has been losing matches after matches since the mega event last year. The experienced all-rounder has also faced criticism for his limitations in making choices on the field. The BCB has decided to rest some of its senior players for the forthcoming BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022, including regular skipper Mahmudullah Riyad. In place of him, Nurul Hasan Sohan has been handed over the T20 captaincy role for the series. Nurul will lead a young Bangladesh side, and a number of players have made a comeback in the Twenty20 squad.
Has Nurul Hasan captained in domestic Twenty20 competitions?
Wicket-keeper batter Nurul Hasan Sohan never captained Bangladesh’s national side on the international stage. Nurul will become the eighth captain of the Bangladesh T20I side when he leads the team in the BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022.
Nurul Hasan does, however, have experience of leading teams in domestic competitions and he has a very good resume as a captain. He captained Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in both List A and Twenty20 cricket competitions in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Under his leadership, Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club became the unbeaten champion in the inaugural season of the Dhaka Premier Division Twenty20 Cricket League in 2019.
Nurul also led Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the 2021 DPL T20 tournament and finished fifth in the points table. Nurul was awarded Player of the Series for scoring 389 runs with a thundering strike rate of 149.61 and making 10 dismissals in 16 appearances.
There is no reason why Sohan can’t lead the Bangladeshi national team’s players given his track record in domestic competition.
BAN vs ZIM Twenty20 International Series 2022: Bangladesh Squad
The BCB selectors have decided to rest the senior players for the upcoming Zimbabwe T20I series. Therefore, captain Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiaur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan will not take part in the series. Nurul Hasan Sohan will lead the young Bangladeshi side where Parvez Hossain Emon, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have been recalled for the T20 series.
Najmul Hossain Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz are regular members of Bangladesh’s ODI and Test setup. However, the selectors usually don’t consider them for the Twenty20 format, but they have been picked for the Zimbabwe series.
Hasan Mahmud made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe back in March 2020, but after that he hasn’t played a match for the national side. The right-hand pacer can generate a lot of pace with the ball, and it will be another golden opportunity for him to show his talent on the international stage.
Parvez Hossain Emon was picked for Pakistan’s T20I series in November last year. However, he didn’t get a chance in the series. At present, Emon has the record of scoring the fastest T20 century (42 balls) by a Bangladeshi batter, a feat that he achieved during the Bangabandhu T20 Cup in 2020. This talented left-hand top-order batter has a genuine chance to showcase his true ability as a T20 batter during the Zimbabwe series.
Besides, the 15-man Bangladesh squad for the forthcoming T20I series included all the expected names. The three-match T20I series between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will start on July 30 (Saturday).
Bangladesh T20I Squad for the Zimbabwe Series 2022
Nurul Hasan Sohan (captain & wicket-keeper), Litton Das, Anamul Haque, Parvez Hossain Emon, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Munim Shahriar, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud.
Bottom Line
The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s decision to hand over the captaincy role to Nurul Hasan Sohan may not be permanent. As per multiple sources, the BCB’s main choice is Shakib Al Hasan to lead the Twenty20 side, as the cricket board is now willing to drop Mahmudullah from the role. However, Nurul will get a chance to show his ability as a leader during the BAN vs ZIM T20I Series 2022. Sohan could be a prime contender to act as the next captain’s deputy if he does well in the series.
The majority of the players in the Twenty20 squad are currently part of the Bangladesh T20I lineup or some of them were called up before but were unable to make their national team debuts. The selectors are keen to put together a balanced team for the forthcoming Asia Cup 2022 and ICC T20 World Cup 2022, so this is a great opportunity for the fringe players to show off their skills and impress them.
Source: United News of Bangladesh