Shanto’s surprise ODI captaincy change was not president’s decision, says Bulbul
BCB boss Aminul Islam Bulbul during an exclusive interview with Cricfrenzy
Ahead of the Sri Lanka series, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) unexpectedly handed the ODI captaincy to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, leaving former skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto reportedly uninformed about the change.
Sources suggest that the decision was made without consulting Shanto, catching him off guard.
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Speculation over Shanto’s future as Test captain also grew after the ODI shake-up. The move materialized following Bangladesh’s innings defeat in the Colombo Test, after which Shanto officially announced his resignation as Test captain during the post-match press conference.
He stated that the decision was made after discussions with BCB's Cricket Operations Department.
"I made the decision after talking to the Cricket Operations officials," Shanto told reporters after the match.
Over the years, there have been instances where the BCB president’s influence played a decisive role in leadership changes. However, speaking exclusively to Cricfrenzy, new BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul denied that Shanto's removal was his individual decision.
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"The board president is just one of the directors. No decision is made unilaterally. All decisions are taken collectively and are policy-based," Bulbul clarified.
When asked about Bangladesh’s heavy loss in the Colombo Test, the BCB president refrained from commenting.
"I just received the news that we’ve lost. Since I didn’t follow the match closely, I won’t comment on it. I want to clarify that while I am the president of the board, detailed performance analysis of the team is not my responsibility," he said.
Bulbul added that such evaluations are the responsibility of the Cricket Operations Department, coaching staff, team management, and selectors.
"If they ever feel the need to involve me or inform me of anything, I will certainly assist in any way I can," he added.
