Amid Najmul Hossain Shanto's reluctance to carry on as captain, Bangladesh's experienced left-arm spinner Taijul Islam hinted that he won't refuse to lead the side in the Test cricket, if he is given the offer. "As I have been playing for 10 years, I think I'm fully ready," Taijul told the reporters in Chattogram ahead of the second Test against South Africa.
The captaincy issue raised the scheduled pre-match conference on Monday (Oct 28) where Taijul attended instead of Shanto. It is a regular process that the captain or coach would face the media ahead of any Test match.
Before coming to Chattogram, Shanto's desire to resign from the captaincy were made headlines.
When asked whether there was a discussion about Shanto's decision to quit captaincy in the team meeting, Taijul replied, "I don't know about that."
"I really don't have the answer to the question. Me or other players are not involved in management or board meetings. We are not involved in deciding who will be the captain or coach," he said.
Shanto was appointed captain in all three formats of cricket last February. He surprisingly wants to leave his leadership after nine months. Earlier, Tamim Iqbal retired suddenly in Chattogram in 2023. In the middle of the series, the discussion and criticism about Shanto's captaincy is believed to prompt him to quit the leadership role.
Asked whether all such incidents in the series affect the team, Taijul said: "It's really a team game. What matters is how the players take it. Some can be influenced, while others can relax and do their work. I would personally say I always try to stay relaxed and try to do my job. But when it happens within a group, I don't know who takes it how. Actually everyone doesn't possess everything the same way."
The Tigers take on vising South Africa on Tuesday in the second Test in Chattogram.
