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Mominul will shine under Shakib's captaincy: Siddons


Published : 04 Jun 2022 09:10 PM

Bangladesh batting coach Jamie Siddons believes Mominul Haque will return to form under the leadership of Shakib al Hasan, who was reappointed as Test captain ahead of the West Indies series.

Mominul resigned from the captaincy following the home series defeat against Sri Lanka 1-0 and also opted to focus on his deteriorating batting performances.

"I think, it will be the confidence to captain [the side],” Siddons told the media at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday.

Siddons lauded Shakib and said he is well experienced for the role and players will feel more confident under his captaincy. 

“Shakib has done it [captaincy] before. He has got the trust and the players behind him. Not that Mominul did not have [any of these] but the players seem to follow a lot of work Shakib does. So, it will be fantastic to have him back in charge. And Mominul can now go and play his cricket," added Siddons.

Shakib first lead the side as the captain in a game against West Indies in 2009. He captained the team for six more matches in the first half of 2010, and more Test in August 2011 against Zimbabwe, before falling out of favour with the then BCB chief Mustafa Kamal.

Shakib then took over the Test captaincy once again in December 2017, replacing Mushfiqur Rahim, he held the role for nearly two years, till he was handed a one-year ban from all cricket in 2019.

After the announcement of the team, there is criticism about the change of leadership. There are also discussions whether Mominul himself has moved or has been forced to move. Asked about this at the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Saturday, Siddons described the whole situation as "very positive". Shakib is a very good captain and a very good thinker. He is a very consistent performer. So he will do great as a captain. Everyone follows him. He is a great leader. '

This time BCB has not fixed any term of his leadership. BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon said it was difficult to say how long Shakib would be the captain. Although there is some uncertainty, Siddons thinks that everyone has confidence in Shakib, all the shortcomings of the team leadership will be filled, 'I think everyone has confidence in Shakib's captaincy. He has done it before. The players trust him. Shakib may be able to do more than what Mominul could not do. It's great to have him back in the lead. Mominul will also play his game.