Liton Appointed ODI Captain as Well, BCB Replaces Miraz in Leadership Reshuffle

Putting an end to days of speculation, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made a significant change to the national team’s leadership structure. At its board meeting on Wednesday, the BCB officially appointed Litton Kumar Das as the new ODI captain, replacing Mehidy Hasan Miraz. As a result, Litton will now lead Bangladesh in both white-ball formats, while Towhid Hridoy has been named vice-captain in both ODIs and T20Is.

There has been no change in the Test leadership, however. Najmul Hossain Shanto will continue as the captain of the red-ball side, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz retaining his role as vice-captain. The appointments were officially announced by BCB president Tamim Iqbal during a press conference following Wednesday’s board meeting.

Explaining the decision to replace Miraz as the ODI captain, Tamim said the board had restructured the leadership as part of its long-term vision. According to him, having two captains—one for white-ball cricket and another for red-ball cricket—is a more effective model than appointing separate captains for all three formats. Elaborating on the decision, he said, “We had three captains across the three formats. I believe we should have two captains—one for white-ball cricket and one for red-ball cricket. We have decided that Litton Das will serve as the white-ball captain, while Najmul Hossain Shanto will continue as the red-ball captain.”

During the same press conference, the BCB president also confirmed Towhid Hridoy’s appointment as vice-captain of the white-ball teams. He added that there would be no change to the vice-captaincy in Test cricket. Announcing the decision, Tamim said, “Towhid Hridoy will be the vice-captain of the white-ball teams, while the red-ball vice-captain will remain the same (Mehidy Hasan Miraz).”

Although Miraz has been removed from the ODI captaincy, Tamim praised his leadership and acknowledged his success in the role. However, he stressed that the team now needs Miraz to contribute more as an all-rounder, particularly by regaining his impact with the ball.

Explaining his remarks, Tamim said, “Miraz has been an extremely successful captain, winning four of the last five series. But I believe we need Miraz more as a cricketer. He hasn’t quite been performing at the level we are accustomed to seeing from him. While he has done well with the bat, there is still room for improvement in his bowling.”

It is worth noting that Mehidy Hasan Miraz was appointed Bangladesh’s ODI captain in 2024, replacing Najmul Hossain Shanto. During his tenure, he led the team in 24 One-Day Internationals, winning 10 matches, losing 13, while one match ended with no result. With Wednesday’s decision, that chapter has come to an end as Litton Kumar Das takes over the leadership of Bangladesh’s ODI side and now captains the national team in both white-ball formats.