Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud said that Shakib Al Hasan was keener on playing Tests now that other formats.

After Mominul Haque said yesterday that he wanted to step down from his role as Test captain, the focus has turned sharply towards who will be the next captain.

However, the BCB President Nazmul Hassan yesterday told The Daily Star that Shakib's availability was an issue in making the all-rounder the Test captain with only days to go before the side leaves for the tour of West Indies. Shakib has missed quite a few Test series in the recent past and Mahmud's remark came as surprise to the media.

"Mominul is the best performer for us in Tests and in this format, he is a big name as a Test batsman. Let's give him that breathing space to score runs. There is a lot of people who can carry the responsibility of Test captaincy but it's important to see who wants to," Mahmud said about Mominul. 

Asked if Shakib would be a long-term solution for the BCB, especially since he has missed key series in the past, Mahmud opined the all-rounder was more eager to play Tests. "Shakib always wants to play Tests now, I don't know how this thing came about that he doesn't want to play Tests.

"Whenever I talk to him, Shakib says that 'I enjoy Tests more than other formats and I want to play Tests'. If he wants captaincy, maybe once given a responsibility, it will bring a change in him. I am not saying that Shakib will definitely be the captain. Tamim [Iqbal] is also there since [Mahmudullah] Riyad has left the format. Mushy is there too but if he wants to accept is a big factor. I don't know who it will be the one thing is that Shakib wants to play Tests now," he remarked.

The BCB are set for a board meeting tomorrow where the issue of Test captaincy will be settled. The BCB is yet to say what their decision on Mominul is going to be. "If Mominul does end up stepping away [from captaincy] someone will have to take responsibility," Mahmud said as all things now point to tomorrow's board meeting being important in terms of finding a new captain.