BAN vs AFG: Litton Das named captain for remainder of ODI series after Tamim Iqbal's retirement

Litton Das has been appointed as the captain of the Bangladesh cricket team for the remainder of the One-Day International (ODI) series against Afghanistan. This decision comes in the wake of veteran opener Tamim Iqbal's unexpected resignation earlier this week.

Tamim Iqbal, who led Bangladesh in the rain-affected first match of the series, shocked the cricketing world when he tearfully announced his immediate retirement from international cricket during an emotional press conference in Chittagong on Thursday. The announcement came after Bangladesh's 17-run defeat in the first ODI against Afghanistan.

The timing of Tamim's retirement came amid criticism from Nazmul Hassan, the President of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Hassan publicly questioned the former opener's professionalism, as he admitted to playing the match despite not being fully fit.

In light of these developments, Litton, who recently led Bangladesh to a historic 546-run victory in the one-off Test match against Afghanistan in June, has been



entrusted with the responsibility of leading the team for the remaining matches of the ODI series.

Litton said that it was difficult to say if the team would miss Tamim going forward and felt that newcomers would keep coming into the side.

“It is difficult to say whether we will miss him. If I am injured today, the team will not miss me,” Liton told reporters.

“Going forward, newcomers will keep coming. Someday we will also go,” he added. “Since he is not there, we should not talk much about that topic.”

Litton admitted that Tamim's decision to retire did take the team by surprise, but they respected the call.

“None of us could realise this decision was coming,” he said. “He gave the Bangladesh team a lot for so many years and led the team. I and all our teammates respect his decision,” he said.

The second match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh will take place on July 8 while the final ODI will be played three days later.