Mominul Haque resigns from Bangladesh Test captaincy

In a shocking turn of events, Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque has stepped down from his role as captain following the team's embarrassing series defeat at home against Sri Lanka. 

Mominul, 30, was under immense pressure after a string of poor performances with the bat. In the last 15 innings, he has only scored 176 runs at an average of 12.57, including one fifty against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui. 

Under him, Bangladesh managed to win just three Tests, losing 12, while two ended in a draw. The southpaw took a bold decision following a meeting at the BCB president Nazmul Hassan's residence as he is keen on focusing on his batting.

"When you play well, even if the team doesn't win, you are still in a position to motivate them. I felt that captaining a side is tough when I am not scoring, and the team is not winning. I think it is best to quit the captaincy," said Mominul. 

"I feel I should focus on my batting. It wasn't a hard decision. A captain has to contribute; otherwise it brings a lot of pressure. The board president told me to stay on, but I don't want to be the captain," he added.

Mominul, as the captain of Bangladesh, scored 912 runs in 17 Tests with an average of 31.44 and three hundreds and two fifties to his credit. Bangladesh star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is considered the top contender for the next red-ball captain of the Bangla Tigers. 

"I am not concerned about Mominul's captaincy. I didn't hear anything from the coaches either. He is not getting runs, which is always a worry for a batsman. Mominul is going through a mental crisis. I told him immediately after the Dhaka Test that we believe in him," Nazmul told Daily Star.

"I also heard Shakib's name is in discussion for Test captaincy. Shakib used to be captain in all three formats, but now I have to know what is he available for? He cannot make last-minute decisions about his availability when he is the captain.

"We have to discuss it with him first. There are also other names being discussed. We have to make a well thought out decision. We cannot make someone a captain on a whim," Nazmul concluded.