Bangladesh to appoint new ODI skipper after series against Zimbabwe

Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan on Wednesday confirmed that the side would be appointing a new ODI skipper after the series against Zimbabwe.

This means that Mashrafe Mortaza will lead the Bangladesh lineup for a final time in the series against Zimbabwe.

The BCB president also said that the board will be lenient on the 36-year old Mortaza's fitness levels in the lead-up to the ODI series against Zimbabwe.

"We have started to stress on beep tests so Mashrafe may not pass the beep tests, so we can drop him if he doesn't pass it. We also have to keep it in mind that Mashrafe's leadership was vital in the turnaround in Bangladesh cricket. But, the time has come for him to decide how long he wants to play," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Hassan as saying.

"I think Mashrafe will play the ODI series against Zimbabwe, pending fitness. We will be lenient about his fitness. But very soon, we have to decide on the team and captain for the next World Cup. We don't have much time. We will make our decision after this ODI series," he added.

Hassan also revealed that Mortaza had agreed on a retirement match during the 2019 World Cup, but the captain later changed his mind.

"Retirement depends on individual players. We know that top players retire on their own will. We also wanted to give him a good send-off. He can play if he wants to, but I am more concerned about the captaincy. Once we declare on the captaincy, he can enter the team on his performance," Hassan said.

"When I spoke to him during the World Cup, we discussed that if we can arrange a home ODI, he will retire. After returning, he changed his mind. And then he also said that he doesn't want a send-off. He never told me. I saw it in the media. We have taken a month or a month and a half to decide our next ODI captain," he added.

Bangladesh will take on Zimbabwe in three ODIs at home. The first ODI will be played on March 1.