Nigar’s T20I captaincy exit leaves BCB surprised

The Bangladesh Cricket Board was taken aback by Nigar Sultana's decision to step down as captain of Bangladesh's T20I team following the Asian Games. Officials admit that they are unsure of the reason for Sultana's sudden decision.

Nigar had informed the board of her decision by email, citing a desire to focus on her batting and wicketkeeping while continuing to lead the ODI side. The development came just two days before Bangladesh’s opening match of the Asian Games, against China on September 17.

The BCB women's wing's chairman, Rafiqul Islam Babu, said on Wednesday that the board had received Nigar's email and would discuss it and decide how to proceed when the team returns from the Asian Games. "I honestly don't know why she suddenly decided to step down (from T20I captaincy)," said Rafiqul.

"The player does not feel comfortable and expressed a desire to focus more on batting and wicketkeeping, wishing to stay in the 50-over format while stepping away from T20s, an email was sent regarding this matter.

"The decision taken before the Asian Games leaves me both embarrassed and deeply disappointed. If there were any issues or problems in that case I could have been informed after the team returned from the tournament,” he said. "We could have reached a decision together. "Tamim (Iqbal) and I will discuss and decide once they return. We will determine the most effective course of action once they return from the Asian Games.

Nigar has led Bangladesh's T20I side since taking over the captaincy in 2022. At the 2024 T20 World Cup, Bangladesh's victory over Scotland, their first World Cup victory in a decade, was one of her greatest accomplishments. In that tournament, Nigar also made a big contribution with the bat and gloves, scoring 104 runs in four innings and getting seven wickets behind the wickets.

Her captaincy in the shortest format, however, has had its share of ups and downs. Bangladesh emerged as unbeaten champions in the World Cup qualifiers earlier in 2026, but a 2-1 home series loss to Sri Lanka, mixed results in the Scotland-Netherlands tri-series and two wins from five matches at the World Cup brought her leadership under scrutiny.