Mehidy unfazed by captaincy scrutiny

FE Team | Published: March 10, 2026 21:17:13

Bangladesh ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz could barely hide his dejection when asked whether he would lead the side in the 2027 World Cup during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday ahead of the ODI series against Pakistan today (Wednesday), according to Cricbuzz.
Mehidy, however, was neither angry nor surprised by questions around his leadership, which has remained under scrutiny since he took over from Najmul Hossain Shanto. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed him ODI captain for one year rather than until the next World Cup. It was a giveaway that the board wanted to assess his leadership before making a long-term decision.
The results so far have not helped his case. Bangladesh have won only three of the 13 ODIs Mehidy has captained. While Bangladesh view the upcoming home series against Pakistan as part of their preparations for the next World Cup, Mehidy insisted he is not treating it as a make-or-break moment for his captaincy.
"Look, captaincy exists because a team needs a captain. But I think whoever is given the captaincy, if he's given time, things can be built more beautifully for the team," said Mehidy. "For me it (Pakistan series) is not a Test (as a captain). I will just try to do well for the team's needs. Ultimately the cricket board will decide. As for my role, I will try for however long I'm given this responsibility to take the team to a good position," he said.
"This series is important not just for me, but for the Bangladesh team and for the country. Because Bangladesh will play the World Cup ahead. So for the World Cup, whoever the captain is, I think the first priority is Bangladesh, and qualifying for the upcoming World Cup is very important," he added.
Mehidy also revealed that the BCB had not yet discussed his captaincy tenure with him. "Look, that is not my decision alone. It's a decision for the people in the cricket board and they haven't discussed that matter with me yet. But I feel that since this series (against Pakistan) is very important for us, maybe after this series or after the next one it will be discussed," he said.