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In a fresh development, Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan has been appointed as the captain of the Bangla Tigers and is set to lead the side in the fifth edition of the Abu Dhabi T10 League. Notably, Shakib was recently appointed the captain of the Bangladesh national side and will lead the team in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022.
The 35-year-old will take the reign in Bangla Tigers from South African batter Faf du Plessis who helped the side finish third after winning six of the ten matches last year. Along with Shakib, former Indian fast bowler and ODI and T20 World Cup winner S Sreesanth has also been roped in by the Bengal Tiger as a mentor of the side.
This will be the first occasion when Sreesanth will be seen in a coaching role. The 39-year-old right-arm fast bowler will work with Aftab Ahmed, former Bangladesh all-rounder, who is also the head coach of the national side. Nazmul Abedin Fahim has been appointed as the assistant coach of the team.
Speaking of the squad, the New Zealander Colin Munro and top-order batter Evin Lewis will join the Bengal Tiger camp soon. Lewis has been signed as a platinum player while Munro was part of the 'A' category. Mohammad Amir will lead the pace attack along with Matheesha Pathirana, popularly known as 'Baby Malinga' in the cricketing world.
According to Mohammad Yasin Chowdhury, owner of the Bangla Tiger, the club represents Bangladesh in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and it was fair to have a player from Bangladesh as a leader of the pack. "It is befitting that Shakib plays for the Bangla Tiger and lead the squad. He is a charismatic leader and we have high expectations from him. We were always keen to include him in the squad but due to his busy schedule with the national team, we were unable to secure him till this season," he said.