01 January,2011 12:20 PM IST | | Agencies
Bangladesh have named ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan as their World Cup captain for the showpiece event starting next month, an official said Saturday.
Shakib, who led Bangladesh to a historic 4-0 whitewash of New Zealand as stand-in skipper in October at home and a 3-1 victory over Zimbabwe last month, was chosen over the injured Mashrafe Mortaza.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it was "proud" to announce Shakib as captain for 2011. Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal was named as vice-captain.
The World Cup, jointly hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, opens on February 19 in Dhaka with a match between India and Bangladesh.
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BCB spokesman Jalal Yunus said Shakib, 23, was made captain for the World Cup and the rest of 2011 as regular skipper Mortaza was not certain of his place in the team although he had been named in a 30-man preliminary squad.
"He (Mortaza) injured his right knee and is not match fit yet. He has to first prove that he has regained enough fitness for bowling," he said.
"We have given him (Tamim) the vice-captaincy for a year as we want to groom him for future captaincy."
Shakib has scored 2,834 runs and taken 129 wickets in 102 one-day internationals.
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