Bangladesh Test captain Mominul Haque said he was stepping down on Tuesday to focus on his batting after a poor form so far this year.
The 30-year-old announced his decision during the meeting with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) chief at the residence of Board President Najmul Hassan.
His batting was heavily criticized after the country’s Test series loss to Sri Lanka earlier this month. There are demands for his resignation ahead of the tour of West Indies next month.
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“I just told him that I am unable to contribute to the team as a captain and failed to motivate the team. So I think it is better if someone else is given the responsibility,” Mominul told reporters after the meeting.
“I think if I can concentrate on my batting it will be good for me and for the team as well.”
Mominul scored just one half-century and 162 runs in six Tests in 2022.
His form left him after his 88-run knock in Bangladesh’s eight-wicket win over New Zealand at Mount Maunganui in January.
He scored just 11 runs in three innings in the recent series against Sri Lanka, which Bangladesh suffered a 0-1 loss.
He said BCB president Najmul requested that he continue during the meeting, but he expressed reluctance.
Mominul’s mentor and coach Najmul Abedin Faheem told AFP that the captaincy has affected his batting to some extent.
“So, I think he should get rid of this load to return to form as a batsman,” he added.
Mominul has scored 3,525 runs in 53 Test matches with 11 centuries, the most by any Bangladeshi batsman.
The BCB appointed Mominul as the Test captain for the West Indies tour, but there is speculation at the local level that Shakib Al Hasan will be re-appointed as the Test captain.
Mominul took over from Shakib in November 2019, when the latter was banned by the International Cricket Council for failure to report corrupt approaches.
A board official had said earlier in the morning that if Mominul wanted to, he was ready to change the captain for the series.
“Mominul was given the captaincy at the time of crisis. We have to give him some respect. If he decides to step down, we will look for a replacement,” cricket operations chief Jalal Younis told AFP.
The team will leave for West Indies on June 5.
Bangladesh will also play three Twenty20 Internationals and three One Day Internationals during the tour.
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