Nannu backs Miraz and his captaincy

Bangla Press Desk:  Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector Minhajul Abedin Nannu has expressed his full support for Mehidy Hasan Miraj's leadership. Since Miraj recently took over as captain of the ODI team, there has been a debate about his preparation and long-term suitability.

Nannu said to the reporters at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday, “You cannot evaluate any captain by one or two series. At least it took 6 or 7 series; if we don’t provide them a long spell, we won’t understand how the captain is running the team. So, don’t look at one or two series; he has a lot of potential. He was the captain of the U-19 team, and he is a good cricketer. So he has intelligence, and captaincy won’t be hard for him. How he is conducting the team, maybe he will gain more experience in the future and do better for the team.” 

Miraz, who captained the Bangladesh U-19 side earlier in his career, has often been praised for his composure and game awareness. Beyond captaincy, Nannu explained that leadership decisions on the field often go unseen or misunderstood by the outside world. He stressed that tactical calls made during a match reflect deeper planning rather than guesswork.

Last match, Miraz had to face a lot of criticism for not completing Rishad’s 10 overs despite taking six wickets. Nannu said about this, “See, there is a thought process of the captain, there is a plan. Me or you can’t say from the outside who will bowl 10 overs, who will bowl 7. There is a thought process for the captain, making the best bowler bowl continuously can be detrimental to the team. So a captain should think through everything and utilize what's needed when it's needed.”

Rishad picked 6 wickets in 9 overs, conceding 35 runs, and became the man of the match. 

The ODI skipper played 112 matches in ODI, 11 matches as a captain, scoring 1741 runs, and took 119 wickets in the green and red jersey. He just managed to secure two victories under his captaincy. However, he debuted against Sri Lanka in 2017 and became one of those players who have 1000 runs and 100 wickets behind their name.

BP/SP