Wicketkeeper-batter Nurul Hasan Sohan has been named the new Bangladesh captain for T20s, according to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
He will lead the Tigers in the upcoming Zimbabwe tour, replacing all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad, a BCB official said Friday.
Before making the decision public, the BCB selectors and high-profile directors had a meeting with Riyad.
Sohan has years of experience of leading Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, the most prestigious domestic cricket event in Bangladesh.
Regular captain Mahmudullah Riyad had been leading the Tigers in T20s since February 2018. He failed to guide the team to T20 victories and could not perform well with the bat in the West Indies.
Riyad was Bangladesh's captain in the last T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman. He led Bangladesh in 46 T20s, of which, the Tigers won 16.
Also, the all-rounder is yet to prove his mettle as a batter in T20s. He has played 33 T20s so far and scored 271 runs at an average of 12.30.
Riyad and other senior players Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim have been rested for T20Is, the BCB official said.
However, the board earlier said it would send a full-strength squad to Zimbabwe.
Read: Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi out of 2nd Test with knee injury
The T20I series will begin on July 30. The last two matches of the series will take place on July 31 and August 2. After that, both teams will lock horns in a three-match ODI series.
Mushfiqur and Hasan Mahmud will be part of the ODI team. Mushfiq missed the last series in the West Indies due to personal reasons. Right-arm pacer Hasan Mahmud played his last ODI in March 2021 against Dunedin.
Bangladesh T20I squad
Nurul Hasan Sohan (captain), Munim Shahriar, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Liton Das, Afif Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mutafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Parvez Hossain Emon
Bangladesh ODI squad
Tamim Iqbal (captain), Liton Das, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Afif Hossain, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Nasum Ahmed, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Mosaddek Hossain, and Taijul Islam