Youngsters in leadership roles a positive step

The ninth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is seeing a positive revolution as far as leadership is concerned, with relatively younger players looking to take the charge ahead of proven seniors.

It was a near certainty that Test and T20I skipper Shakib Al Hasan would lead Fortune Barishal ahead of their opening game against Sylhet Strikers, so it came as a surprise when Mehedi Hasan Miraz was named captain and came out for the toss yesterday.

There was discussion about using the domestic circuit as a platform where relatively younger players could hone their leadership qualities and Miraz's promotion as the captain, that too ahead of Shakib, was a bold move.

Interestingly, the Barishal team management said that they would name their captain on 'match-by-match' basis, which is something that rarely happens, especially when the team has an experienced campaigner like Shakib.

"We will announce the captain on match-by-match basis," Barishal manger Sazzad Ahmed Shipon said through a press release yesterday.

The decision could help players like Miraz gain experience and exposure, which will definitely polish the leadership skills that he showed when leading the Bangladesh U-19 team to the semifinal of the ICC Under-19 World Cup back in 2016.

More importantly, such roles can also help prepare the future leaders of Bangladesh cricket. Miraz can bank on the support from the likes of Shakib and Mahmudullah Riyad, who will be playing under him.

There was a huge controversy involving Miraz when Chattogram Challengers reprieved him of captaincy midway through the last edition of the BPL.

Meanwhile, the Khulna Tigers team management surprised many by opting to name Yasir Ali captain ahead of ODI skipper Tamim Iqbal. Although Khulna went on to lose their opening game against Dhaka Dominators yesterday, the cricketer will surely gain confidence as the tournament progresses.

It will be interesting to see whether the younger players will be able to utilise the opportunity and work on their leadership skills in the BPL and make a statement for the coming days.