CAPTAINCY PRESSURE
Mominul Haque’s captaincy has been under scrutiny © AFP
Mominul, the Test skipper, has been asked by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to make a decision on whether he wants to continue as captain or not, considering that the leadership duties have affected his batting.
Mominul’s captaincy has been under scrutiny following a string of low scores as the southpaw could only score 176 runs at an average of 12.57 in the last 15 innings, with just only fifty (88) against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. Mominul has failed to reach double-digits in his last seven innings, having made only 24 runs starting from the tour of South Africa in April.
Mominul has scored 912 runs in 17 Tests that he captained Bangladesh so far, and his average has dipped to 31.44 while he managed to score three centuries and two fifties during his time span. Bangladesh won three Tests and drew two while losing the remaining 12 under his leadership.
BCB chief Nazmul Hasan had a meeting with Mominul after their embarrassing 10-wicket loss to Sri Lanka at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, though it ended without any concrete decision regarding his captaincy future. Nazmul asked Mominul to think about his future and let him know whether it is affecting his batting when they sit together before the tour of West Indies.
Jalal Yunus, chairman of the BCB cricket operations, indicated that the board is not ready to put any pressure on him to hold on to captaincy if he feels that it is affecting his batting. “I think captaincy is extra pressure. When you are not getting runs as a captain you might feel awkward asking for help. At that point the pressure gets higher and it can have an effect on him. What is best for him, he needs to decide.”
“Our BCB president sat with him but the discussion is not yet over. Because he is abroad the meeting could not take but when he arrives they will sit to discuss about his future,” added Yunus.
It is understood that the BCB is unlikely to change the Test captain ahead of West Indies tour unless Mominul refuses to lead the side. But a decision regarding the next Bangladesh Test captain is on cards following the two-match Test series unless Mominul excels both with bat and as a leader with some success in the series, which is scheduled to start from June 16 at Antigua.
Source: Cricbuzz