Zimbabwe series set to be Mashrafe's last as captain

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan said today that while Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will be ODI captain for the upcoming series against Zimbabwe, he strongly hinted that it would be the 36-year-old's last series as captain.

"If he wants to play, he can play. I am more concerned about captaincy. When we declare another captain and he can get into the side through his performance, then it's fine. But the captaincy will be decided in a matter of months," Hassan told reporters at the BCB headquarters in Mirpur.

"My thinking is Mashrafe will play the Zimbabwe series if he is fit but with the next World Cup in mind, we can't just give the captaincy to someone at the last minute before that. We will be able to give a clear-cut decision on the matter in a few months," he added.

"The deadline is at most one to one-and-a-half months. We have called a board meeting and we will decide soon," he said.

Bangladesh's next ODI series is in Ireland in May.

Mashrafe has not played for Bangladesh since the World Cup in England last year. He was injured for the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka last year and through niggling injuries, he played the BBPL this year. His performances have fuelled questions regarding his ODI retirement ever since the World Cup.

BCB had previously given Mashrafe a two-month period to make a decision on the matter following a request from the skipper himself in August last year, with the board planning to host a lone ODI to give him a farewell.

Hassan also raised concerns about Mashrafe's fitness levels, especially as the board has recently introduced beep tests before competitions and players have to achieve a certain score to qualify. The implementation at the domestic level has been somewhat lenient, and Hassan said they would not be very strict on Mashrafe before the Zimbabwe series, slated to begin from March 1.

"We've introduced beep tests and Mashrafe may not pass that. Nobody can deny Mashrafe's contribution to where Bangladesh cricket is right now. But the time has come for a decision on how long he can play," Hassan said.

During the BBPL Mashrafe had said in a press conference that he will quit the captaincy if the BCB asks him to but the decision to retire should be his call.