Mashrafe Mortaza named Bangladesh captain

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has appointed Mashrafe Mortaza as the new captain of the national team for the tours of West Indies and Zimbabwe.

The 25-year old fast bowler, dubbed as Narail Express, has so far played 35 Tests and 103 ODIs and will replace Mohammad Ashraful.

The BCB decided to relieve Ashraful of his captaincy duties to allow him to focus on his batting. World's number one all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was named as the deputy to Mortaza.

“The Board wants to sincerely thank Mohammad Ashraful for his contribution as skipper. The decision to replace him was taken with the intention of relieving the load on Ashraful so that he can play his natural game,” said BCB Media & Communications Committee Chairman Mohammed Jalal Yunus.

Ashraful was appointed to the role two years ago but the team failed to make an impact the world scene under his captaincy. In the recently concluded ICC World Twenty20, Bangladesh led by Ashraful was humiliated by Ireland and India, thus ensuring an early exit.

The middle-order batsman took over the captaincy from Habibul Bashar in 2007.

The team will leave for Caribbean on June 29 to play one T20, three ODIs and two Tests under the leadership of Mortaza.

"We believe we have picked the ideal person as captain. Apart from his obvious match-winning ability Mortaza is a proven fighter and has the experience. He can inspire and motivate the team. This is a new challenge for him and we know that he loves challenges," added Yunus.

Bangladesh Squad: Mashrafe Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Zunaed Siddique, Raquibul Hassan, Mohammad Ashraful, Shahadat Hossain, Syed Rasel, Mahmudullah, Rubel Hossain, Mehrab Hossain Jr., Imrul Kayes, Mahbubul Alam, Enamul Haque Jr. and Gazi Shahagir Hossain.