Bangladesh are apparently making plans to have separate red-ball and white-ball captains, and Litton Das is expected to lead the ODI team while Nazmul Hossain Shanto will remain as the Test skipper.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is likely to rethink its current captaincy setup and bring back the separate leadership of Test cricket and white-ball cricket. The idea will be discussed at the board meeting and Litton Das is likely to be the top contender to replace Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the ODI captain.
Litton has already been the leader of the Bangladesh cricket team in T20I cricket and may now be tasked with leading the team in both formats. Meanwhile, Nazmul Hossain Shanto is likely to continue as the head coach of the Test team and will focus solely on red-ball cricket.
Litton in Line for ODI Captaincy
If the board approves the proposed change, then Litton is expected to be the preferred choice to lead Bangladesh in ODIs, according to reports. The wicketkeeper-batter has already served as the T20I skipper and may be poised to become the overall white-ball skipper.
Towhid Hridoy, who is currently deputy to Litton in T20Is, is likely to retain his role in ODI cricket as well. The middle order batsman has acquired a lot of experience as a captain in his recent T20I series with Zimbabwe and Australia for Bangladesh.
Hridoy’s development for leadership is seen as a component of the board’s long-term plans as Bangladesh prepares for the next generation of captains.
Mehidy Could Lose ODI Captaincy
The proposed change would end Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s stint as the captain of Bangladesh in ODI cricket. He replaced Shanto in June 2025, and was granted an extension that would keep him in the squad for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
But Bangladesh’s performance under Mehidy has been less than satisfactory, especially at foreign venues, it is reported. The team had just two wins in 13 ODIs in his captaincy outside Bangladesh, putting pressure on the board to change their captain.
The BCB now seems to be moving away from the three-captain system, and is considering a more straightforward system with one captain for Tests and another for the white-ball formats.
Shanto to Continue as Test Captain
The proposed arrangement also means that Shanto is likely to continue as the Test captain. The board is said to have discussed his return as the ODI skipper, but ultimately decided to keep him busy in Test cricket.
The separate leadership would enable Shanto to focus on the red-ball side of things in Bangladesh, while Litton can handle the planning and leadership of the limited-overs side.
It would also give clarity to the players as each captain could concentrate on the requirements of their own format.
BCB Moves Away From Three-Captain Experiment
Mehidy’s appointment as the ODI captain replaced the current structure, whereas Litton had already been appointed as the T20I captain. The outcome was three different skippers in the three formats of international cricket.
In the past, the BCB has employed a similar system. Shakib Al Hasan was the captain of the Test team in 2022, Tamim Iqbal was the ODI captain and Mahmudullah was in charge of T20Is.
The new proposed reduction will be to the number of captains, but Litton will be in charge of both white-ball formats and Shanto will be in charge of Tests.
Decision Expected Soon
The final decision will be based on the BCB directors’ decision and the result of their next meeting. If granted, Litton may soon be getting ready to take on a bigger role as Bangladesh’s white-ball skipper.
Mehidy’s tenure as ODI coach has been a setback as he is set to change his role after over a year. But the new building might offer a better separation of duties for Shanto and Litton as Bangladesh get ready for the next step in their international cricket programme.
