Mushfiqur resigns as Bangladesh captain

Mushfiqur Rahim has announced that he will be resigning as Bangladesh captain after the end of the current series. His announcement, which came a few minutes after his team lost the third ODI to Zimbabwe and with it the series, took the BCB and most observers and journalists by surprise but the board has decided to back him as captain.

The post-match press conference in Bulawayo was addressed by vice-captain Mahmudullah but, after his final answer, Mushfiqur lifted his hand to ask the journalists to stay a minute longer.

"I just have one thing to add before we finish," he said in an emotionally charged voice. "I will be stepping down as captain after the last two [Twenty20] matches. I believe that I couldn't lead my team, and I didn't score enough runs. That is why I think we lost the ODI series."

He was asked if there was a problem within the team but, instead of replying, walked out of the room.

The BCB, responding to the news, was full of praise for Mushfiqur and suggested he would have been retained as captain until the home series against New Zealand in October.

"It has come as a surprise to us," the BCB media committee chairman Jalal Yunus said. "We have spoken to him moments after he made the announcement. We believe he is an efficient leader, and upon the team's return on May 15, we will sit and discuss with him face-to-face.

"We will have to take a look at the manager's report, and also find out if he got full cooperation from the other members of the team. His tenure was till the Zimbabwe tour but we will discuss the matter with him. It was perhaps an emotional decision, and it shows how much he cares for the team."

In January, the BCB had extended Mushfiqur's term as captain until the Zimbabwe tour, but he was widely expected to continue in the job until the end of the year.