Taijul Islam 'fully prepared' for Bangladesh Test captaincy

Chittagong, Oct 28 (IANS) Bangladesh left-arm spinner Taijul Islam said that he is prepared to take the Test captaincy role after playing international cricket for a decade amid uncertainty over Najmul Hossain Shanto's leadership future.

Currently, Shanto leads Bangladesh across formats and is likely to leave his role after the ongoing home Test series against South Africa. Shanto has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board of his decision to step down and is awaiting approval from board president Faruque Ahmed, who is currently abroad and expected to return soon.

Asked about Shanto's decision, the spinner said he is unaware of the development but pitched himself as his successor in the red-ball format.

"I haven't heard anything on this matter (regarding Najmul quitting from captaincy). It's not part of our role, I'm not fully informed on this," Taijul told reporters at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Monday.

"Having played for 10 years, I'm fully prepared (for captaincy).

"This is a team game. The most important thing is that the team remains in good condition. Some players may be affected by outside events, while others can continue their role with calmness," he added.

Taijul explained how he keeps himself away from outside noise and focuses on his task. "Personally, I try to stay relaxed and focus on my work. But within a team, I can't say how each person reacts; everyone's mindset is different. We're not involved in management or board meetings," he said.

With the second Test against South Africa beginning on Tuesday, Taijul stressed on winning the match to level the series 1-1 after the visitors won the opening match by seven wickets.

"Our goal remains the same: we'll play to win. As for the match conditions, we'll understand them once the game unfolds. But the focus will be on playing as a team - whether it's batting, bowling, or fielding. We'll do our best to win," he said.

"Every match is an opportunity. From that perspective, I think this is another chance for the batters. We haven't performed on the level as expected as a team, although some have had individual performances in different matches. If we can build two or three partnerships in a game, and one or two players score a century, our target will be much bigger and everyone's working hard and is fully committed," the spinner added.

Being the senior player in the team, Taijul expressed his willingness to share knowledge with other members if they are interested while adding that they have got high quality spinners in their possession.

"(Being a senior player) I can implement things, but how much someone takes from me, matters - whether as a teammate or the people of my country. I feel that when different situations arise on the field, if a spinner is bowling, for example, field positioning or how to set up a batter, the captain sometimes asks me, and I try to help," the 32-year-old said.

"Nayeem's record is quite good. Just because he didn't get wickets in one match doesn't mean he won't perform well in the future. This can happen in a game or two, but he's likely to deliver good performances ahead. Miraz did well against India and Pakistan, and Nayeem has also performed well previously in Chattogram and Mirpur," Taijul added.