Ashraful replaced with Mortaza as Bangladesh Captain

[Uppercut]

Fair call, Ashraful was a pretty dire captain and played like crap while he was too. Seems a while since a side has had their opening bowler lead the team. Thoughts?

[Lillian Thomson]

Will probably make precisely no difference to anything.

[Craig]

Will probably make precisely no difference to anything.

Does anybody actually care what you think anymore?

[Lillian Thomson]

Does anybody actually care what you think anymore?

You cared enough to write that.

[Jungle Jumbo]

Fair call, Ashraful was a pretty dire captain and played like crap while he was too. Seems a while since a side has had their opening bowler lead the team. Thoughts?

It's become a bit of a desperate situation. Ashraful had to go - the captaincy was affecting his batting, to the point where he couldn't be assured of his place in the side, and he wasn't particularly tactically gifted anyway.

Mashrafe deserves to start with a clean slate, but since Ashraful remained in the job so long with such obviously detrimental consequences, it strikes me that there were no viable alternatives anyway. If Mashrafe appeared better captaincy material, he would have been made captain ages ago.

The problem is that such a young side is carrying the hopes of a huge nation on their backs and it is too much to expect rapid improvement. I honestly think that any member of the current England lineup could captain the side in the short term (let's assume that Monty isn't playing...) and there would be no disastrous consequences, while there are plenty of players in the Bangladesh side who I wouldn't want captaining my school team. I think Shakib is seen to be the long-term hope, but he's still very young and inexperienced.

[Uppercut]

Does anybody actually care what you think anymore?

Haha indeed. LT makes trademark smarmy comment, conversation moves on.

It's become a bit of a desperate situation. Ashraful had to go - the captaincy was affecting his batting, to the point where he couldn't be assured of his place in the side, and he wasn't particularly tactically gifted anyway.

Mashrafe deserves to start with a clean slate, but since Ashraful remained in the job so long with such obviously detrimental consequences, it strikes me that there were no viable alternatives anyway. If Mashrafe appeared better captaincy material, he would have been made captain ages ago.

The problem is that such a young side is carrying the hopes of a huge nation on their backs and it is too much to expect rapid improvement. I honestly think that any member of the current England lineup could captain the side in the short term (let's assume that Monty isn't playing...) and there would be no disastrous consequences, while there are plenty of players in the Bangladesh side who I wouldn't want captaining my school team. I think Shakib is seen to be the long-term hope, but he's still very young and inexperienced.

I think it's a step towards changing the defeatist mentality in Bangladesh cricket. They really need someone to come in and get the players taking some responsibility (particularly with their batting), preparing for games properly and generally believing they can start winning the odd game instead of just "competing". That's not to say they'd be any good with a professional attitude, because audacious irresponsible players are always thought of as more "talented" than they really are. But it wouldn't exactly do any harm. Likewise, Mortaza may well not be the man to do it. But he can't exactly be any worse than Ashraful in that respect.

And if they started showing a bit more fight i might not find it so hard to get behind them as underdogs.

[Migara]

Mortaza will get a lot better team than ashraful with return of Shareer Nafees and Alok Kapali. A lineup of Tamim Iqbal, Shareer Nafees, Ashraful, Alok Kapali, Shakib Al Hasan, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiq ur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain looks promising. The batting prowess of Kapali and Hasan is very well known.

[James_W]

I don't know really. Mortaza is more likely to lead by example than Ashraful I suppose. Although Mortaza is also rather crazy with a bat in his hand. ITSTL.

[Gowza]

Mortaza will get a lot better team than ashraful with return of Shareer Nafees and Alok Kapali. A lineup of Tamim Iqbal, Shareer Nafees, Ashraful, Alok Kapali, Shakib Al Hasan, Raqibul Hasan, Mushfiq ur Rahim, Mashrafe Mortaza, Abdur Razzak, Shadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain looks promising. The batting prowess of Kapali and Hasan is very well known.

aftab ahmed will be back as well, but these players won't be available to the national team until sometime in december.

[Lillian Thomson]

Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan are now the two greatest living Bangladeshians having jointly lead their country to a series win the West Indies.

[Uppercut]

Series whitewash, I'll have you know.

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Against a team with the veteran Tino Best, mind.

[Trigger_Tiger]

Against a team with the veteran Tino Best, mind.

Which is none of Bangladesh's concern mind it. Too bad for the ailing WICB!