Litton’s term as Bangladesh’s T20I captain was initially until the 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka that concluded in March but Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament due to security concerns over their fixtures in India. Mehidy was appointed ODI captain last year and under his leadership Bangladesh beat West Indies in October 2025 and Pakistan in March 2026..

BCB’s cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen said the board wanted to give the captains more room to build their teams. “Since our T20 captain’s tenure ended with the 2026 T20 World Cup, the current T20 captain and vice-captain will continue until the next T20 World Cup in 2028. At the same time, our ODI captain’s tenure is also nearing its end. So, we feel it is very important that the captains can work uninterrupted and follow a long-term vision.

“(Mehidy Hasan) Miraz has already been leading the team for about a year, and with the World Cup approaching, we thought that giving him this opportunity would allow him to organise and strengthen the team even better,” Abedeen said. “In my view, Miraz has been doing well and has performed strongly for the team. Considering all these factors, this decision has been made to provide a long-term tenure, ensuring that the captains can play a decisive role in shaping and managing the team effectively.”

“Based on his performance, especially his bowling and considering the tournaments he has played recently, he doesn’t even seem like a retired cricketer,” Abedeen said. “Even at this age, his intent and attitude on the field in a regular game are impressive. So we think that spinners of every level can benefit from him.

“To be honest, we have about eight or ten pace-bowling coaches. But when we look back, we cannot even find three spin-bowling coaches in the country. That is very alarming. We need to develop our own spin coaches. Rafique is almost a ready-made person who can serve this purpose immediately.”