International Cricket

Shanto Deputy Search Bangladesh Captaincy 2026 Decoded

Rohan Bhatia 19 May 2026 Updated 19 May 2026 ~4 min read ~697 words

Najmul Shanto leading Bangladesh in a Test match, talking with a teammate

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Najmul Hossain Shanto holds the Bangladesh captaincy across all three formats, and the board has reportedly opened a formal review of the vice-captaincy structure ahead of the Asia Cup in August. The current arrangement — Mehidy Hasan Miraz as ODI deputy, no permanent T20I or Test deputy — has been flagged as a succession risk. This piece runs the five named candidates in the frame, with their tactical and leadership profiles, and looks at what the BCB's reported shortlist actually solves.

Litton Das — the senior batter case

Litton Das has 4,200-plus international runs and has captained in two Tests during Shanto's injury periods. The tactical read is that he understands match situations well, but his own form has been erratic in 2025-26, averaging 24.6 in the last 14 Tests. The BCB's case for him is succession depth — at 30, he is one of the few senior heads. The case against is that he is fighting for his Test slot, which is not a stable platform for a vice-captaincy.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz — the all-format option

Miraz already deputises in ODIs and is the most plausible all-format successor. His record across all three formats is consistent, and his bowling load gives him bowling-changes feel from the dressing room. The reported worry is workload: asking a frontline spinner to handle on-field captaincy decisions while bowling 25 overs in a Test innings is a known cognitive strain. The data on bowling captains over the last decade suggests their teams perform 4-5% below average. That is the structural concern.

Towhid Hridoy — the long-term bet

Hridoy is the favourite from the youth pool. His ODI record at No 4 — 1,128 runs at 39.6 — has earned him the long-term batting slot, and the board has reportedly flagged him as the 2030 captaincy successor. The case for naming him deputy now is to build leadership reps over the next 24 months. The case against is age and tenure: 25 is young, and tactical complexity in subcontinent Tests is a learned skill. The compromise option is to name him T20I deputy only and leave Test deputy open.

Taskin Ahmed and the pace-leader option

Taskin Ahmed has captained in two T20Is and is the dressing-room voice for the pace group. His record as a leader is shallow but credible, and the pace contingent treats him as the de-facto bowling captain. The BCB has reportedly considered him for the T20I deputy slot, with the case against being injury risk — he has missed 27% of available T20Is in the last two years.

What it means

The board's reported decision window closes ahead of the Asia Cup squad announcement. The cleanest solution is to formalise Mehidy as the ODI deputy, Taskin as the T20I deputy and Litton as the Test deputy, with Hridoy named the long-term batting captaincy successor. That spreads the load across formats and protects against the cognitive drag of one player carrying three deputy hats. Watch the Asia Cup squad sheet for the formal call.