Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has appointed Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the new captain for the One Day International (ODI) team for a term of one year, marking a 'transitional time' for the team. The 27-year-old all-rounder will take over the responsibility from Najmul Hossain Shanto. This decision comes ahead of Bangladesh's three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in the upcoming month of July, where Miraz is expected to officially commence his captaincy.

This appointment results in split captaincy across all three formats for Bangladesh. While Litton Das holds the T20I captaincy and Najmul Hossain Shanto leads the Test squad, Miraz will now steer the ODI team.

Following the announcement, Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to lead his country. He acknowledged the honor bestowed upon him by the board and stated that leading the country is a dream for any cricketer. He conveyed his confidence in the team, emphasizing their talent and belief in playing fearless cricket, encouraging his teammates to perform confidently and give their best for the country.

Nazmul Abedeen, the Bangladesh Cricket operations chairman, explained the rationale behind choosing Mehidy as the skipper, stating that the board believes Miraz's consistent performance with both the bat and ball, his ability to inspire the team, and his energetic presence on and off the field make him an ideal candidate to lead the ODI side during this transitional period. Abedeen further added that the board is confident in Miraz's temperament and maturity to take Bangladesh forward in the ODI format.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz has prior experience in leading the ODI side, having captained Bangladesh in four matches last year when Shanto was absent due to injury. These matches included a series against Afghanistan and another against the West Indies; however, Bangladesh lost all four games. In addition to ODIs, Miraz also captained the Test side in a series against the West Indies, where he led the team to draw the second Test in Jamaica after losing the first.

With 1617 runs and 110 wickets in 105 ODIs, Miraz is currently ranked No. 4 among ODI all-rounders in the ICC rankings. He is also part of an exclusive group of Bangladeshi cricketers, including Mohammad Rafique, Mashrafe Mortaza, and Shakib Al Hasan, to have completed the 1000 runs and 100 wickets double in the format.

BCB Cricket Operations Committee Chairman Nazmul Abedeen also noted Shanto's contribution, "We're grateful for the positivity and character Shanto displayed during his captaincy stint. He remains an integral part of our leadership group and a key figure in the batting unit.”