Nahida Akter has been appointed Bangladesh’s new women’s T20I captain following Nigar Sultana Joty’s resignation, with Sobhana Mostary named vice-captain, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) women’s wing chairman Rafiqul Islam Babu confirmed to TIMES on Sunday.
“Yes, we have appointed Nahida as the T20I captain, while Sobhana Mostary will be her deputy in this format,” Babu told TIMES.
A left-arm spinner, Nahida has been one of Bangladesh’s most successful bowlers in white-ball cricket. She is the country’s leading wicket-taker in women’s T20Is with 132 wickets and has claimed 81 in ODIs.
With the 2028 Women’s T20 World Cup on the horizon, Babu did not specify the length of Nahida’s captaincy tenure but said the board would assess her leadership over at least a year.
“We have discussed it with the selection panel. However, we will watch them for at least one year,” he said, referring to Nahida and her deputy, Sobhana.
Nahida, who had served as Bangladesh’s vice-captain in white-ball formats, had been the frontrunner to succeed Joty in the T20I leadership role. Joty stepped down after Bangladesh’s disappointing Asia Cup campaign, informing the BCB of her decision by email on September 15, ahead of the Asian Games.
The bronze-medal match against Pakistan in Nisshin was Joty’s final assignment as T20I captain, bringing an end to her 82-match tenure in the role. She will continue to lead Bangladesh in ODIs.
Bangladesh are next scheduled to compete in the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy in Thailand. Their campaign begins against Pakistan on November 12, which will be Nahida’s first assignment as captain.
