Mashrafe Mortaza confirms he will step down from Bangladesh captaincy following Zimbabwe ODI series

The 36-year-old has captained the country on more than 116 occasions, however his side's wins in Sylhet this week were his first international games since the 2019 World Cup

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Bangladesh stalwart Mashrafe Mortaza has confirmed he will step down as captain of the country's ODI side following Friday's series closer against Zimbabwe in Sylhet.

The three-match visit had been the 36-year-old's first taste of international action since captaining Bangladesh at last summer's World Cup, but extensive speculation surrounding his retirement from the game proved unfounded when he retained the captaincy for the home series despite an underwhelming BPL campaign.

However, following earlier indications from BCB president Nazmul Hassan that a new captain may take charge of the side as soon as next month's one-off ODI against Pakistan, Mortaza himself used a pre-match press conference to confirm the news and insist he hopes to continue representing the side.

"Tomorrow is going to be my last match as captain. I want to thank the Bangladesh Cricket Board for keeping their faith in me for such a long period of time. I also want to thank the players who have played under my captaincy," Mortaza said, according to local publication The Daily Star.

"As a player, I will try to give my best if the opportunity comes. My best wishes are there for the one who will be the next captain.

"My belief is that he will take Bangladesh towards the next step and if I am in the team I will try to use my experience and whatever knowledge I have to offer to help him."

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Friday will mark the seamer's 88th and final game as ODI captain

Mortaza steps back after 116 games as captain across formats over an 11 year stint, in which he took charge of the side for both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups.

While the veteran seamer still hopes to add to his 269 wickets in the 50-over format – the only format he has played at international level since 2017 – future selections for coach Russell Domingo's squads are set to depend primarily on him continuing to maintain fitness and performance standards.

A successor has not yet been named for the ODI role, with Bangladesh soon to move into T20 action against Zimbabwe before travelling to Pakistan for ODI and Test fixtures next month, starting April 1 in Karachi.

However, allrounder Mahmudullah is a strong candidate having been appointed to lead the T20 side following October's issuing of a two-year ban to Shakib Al Hasan for breaches of the ICC's anti-corruption code.

Tamim Iqbal previously enjoyed a stint as ODI skipper in Mortaza's absence against Sri Lanka last July, however his brief tenure lasted just three matches. Mominul Haque currently leads the team in red-ball cricket.

Today's announcement will give Mortaza a shot at becoming the first Bangladeshi to lead his side to 50 wins in ODI cricket, with a brace of high-scoring wins over Zimbabwe in Sylhet this week confirming that his tenure will finish with a win percentage superior to any of his predecessors.

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