Shakib Al Hasan will lead Bangladesh in the Twenty20 World Cup 2022 scheduled for October-November, Bangladesh Cricket Board has said.
The confirmation came on Saturday amid criticism of the all-rounder for his contract with a betting news website, reports bdnews24.com.
Shakib assured that he cut ties with BetWinner News, a project of the BetWinner website, after BCB threatened to end his career citing a breach of the board's code of conduct.
Shakib, who is also the Test captain, will helm the Tigers in the 20-over affairs from the Asia Cup which is slated for later this month. He will then lead the team in a tri-series in New Zealand in October before the showpiece event in Australia.
BCB President Nazmul Hassan along with several board directors and the selection committee discussed the development with Shakib on Saturday.
“We took the decision [about captaincy] in a board meeting earlier," said Jalal Yunus, BCB's cricket operations chairman.
Shakib was Bangladesh’s Test and T20 captain in 2019 before the International Cricket Council slapped him with a two-year ban for failing to report an approach from a bookie.
Mahmudullah then led the team in the shortest format. However, the team’s dismal performance in the last T20 showcase event along with his poor form was met with much criticism.
The BCB opted to name wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan as captain for the T20 series in the recent Zimbabwe tour, ultimately leaving Mahmudullah out of the 20-over games. However, he was recalled to the line-up in the third game as Sohan suffered an injury, though Mosaddek Hossain stood captain.
On Aug 2, Shakib promoted BetWinner News on his official Facebook page along with a photo of him sporting the company’s jersey. The post read, “I am proud of the official partnership with BetWinner News.”
The BCB sent Shakib a notice but received no response until Hassan on Friday warned that if he did not cancel his contract with BetWinner, it would spell the end of his ties to cricket.
Later that day, Shakib confirmed the board in writing that he ended the contract.
Shakib led Bangladesh in 21 T20 games and won seven of them.
