Sports Desk:

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Mehidy Hasan Miraz as their next One-Day International (ODI) captain, replacing Najmul Hossain Shanto in the 50-over format. The BCB confirmed the news through a press release on Thursday.

The 27-year-old all-rounder will begin his captaincy tenure in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.

“It is a huge honour for me to be entrusted with this responsibility by the board,” Miraz said in his initial reaction after getting the armband.

“Leading the country is a dream for any cricketer and I am grateful for the confidence the board has shown in me,” he added.

“I have every faith in this team. We have the talent and the belief to play fearless cricket. I want us to perform with confidence, play without inhibition and continue giving our best for the country.”

With this move, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is once again reverting to a format-specific leadership model—one that was previously in place when Tamim Iqbal led the ODI side, Mominul Haque captained in Tests, and Mahmudullah was in charge of the T20 squad.

The BCB appears to be returning to that structure in an attempt to allow captains to focus on and specialise in one format.

Chairman of BCB’s Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen said: “The Board felt that Miraz’s consistent performances with the bat and ball, his ability to fight and inspire the team and his energetic presence on and off the field make him an ideal candidate to lead the ODI side during a transitional time.”

“We believe he has the temperament and maturity to take Bangladesh forward in this format.”

Shanto, who voluntarily stepped down from T20 captaincy recently, will also not continue as ODI captain.

“We take this opportunity to thank Shanto for the positivity and character he has demonstrated as captain. He remains very much a part of the leadership group and we know how important his batting is to the team,” Nazmul added.

However, he has been confirmed as the long-term Test skipper and will lead Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC World Test Championship (2025–27) cycle starting with the tour of Sri Lanka.

Miraz will serve as his deputy in the red-ball format.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also entrusted Litton Das with the T20 captaincy until the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Litton was appointed to the role in May and is seen as part of the board’s long-term planning strategy.

Miraz has long been viewed as a future Bangladesh captain since his days in age-level cricket. Over the years, he has cemented his position as one of the team’s most dependable performers across formats.

With his consistent performances and leadership credentials, Miraz has often been in contention whenever leadership changes were discussed.

A mainstay in Bangladesh’s ODI setup, Miraz has already played 105 matches in the format, scoring 1,617 runs including two centuries and six fifties, and picking up 110 wickets with his off-spin.

He is currently Bangladesh’s highest-ranked all-rounder in ICC’s ODI rankings, sitting at No. 3 globally. His recent form also makes him one of the team’s standout performers, leaving little room for debate over his leadership credentials.