Rahim named new Bangladesh captain

DHAKA: Mushfiqur Rahim has been named Bangladesh's new captain for the upcoming home series against the West Indies and Pakistan, an official said on Tuesday.

All-rounder Mohammad Mahmudullah was named Rahim's deputy, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) spokesman Rabeed Imam said.

"Rahim will captain the national team for Tests and limited-over matches for the home series against the West Indies and Pakistan," he told AFP.

"The West Indies will tour from October and Pakistan from the last week of November."

Wicket-keeper Rahim, a former vice-captain, had a brilliant series in Zimbabwe last month when he hit his first century in one-day internationals.

He was singled out as a likely choice for captaincy after the BCB sacked regular captain Shakib Al Hasan and vice-captain Tamim Iqbal early this month following the team's unsuccessful tour of Zimbabwe.

Bangladesh lost the one-off Test and then a five-match one-day series 3-2 in Zimbabwe.

Shakib and Tamim are the best Bangladeshi cricketers to have emerged on the international scene, winning Wisden cricket magazine's international player of the year in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

But they were accused of indiscipline during the Zimbabwe tour.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011