Newly elected BCB vice-president and former national captain Faruque Ahmed has urged supporters and critics to give Miraz more time, suggesting at least a two-year window to allow him to develop as a captain. Despite a poor run of results under Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s captaincy, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remains confident in his leadership.
Miraz has led Bangladesh to just one win in nine ODIs since taking over from Najmul Hossain Shanto. Most recently, Bangladesh lost the ODI series to Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi after an 81-run defeat in the second match. It was the team’s third consecutive ODI series loss to Afghanistan and has raised concerns about their qualification for the 2027 World Cup.
Speaking to reporters in Sylhet during the ACL T20 final on Sunday, Faruque acknowledged the team’s struggles but backed Miraz to grow into the role with time.
“Miraz has a good cricketing brain. He is a captain in the making,” Faruque said. “When the team does not perform, people tend to focus more on the captain’s mistakes. But when the team is winning, even poor decisions are overlooked.”
Faruque stressed the importance of patience and long-term planning. “You cannot expect a miracle from someone as soon as they are given the captaincy. I believe a captain should be given at least one to two years. That way, he can plan around key tournaments and support the selectors. I do not think Miraz is doing poorly as a captain. Once the team starts performing better, his leadership will also look better,” he added.
Faruque also noted the difficulties the team is facing with its middle order, acknowledging that the management is still struggling to settle players into their best positions. However, he remained optimistic that form and rhythm would return.
With World Cup qualification at stake, pressure is mounting on the entire team, but Faruque’s message is clear: Miraz deserves time to prove himself as a leader.
