Bangladesh's Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and ODI skipper Mehidy Hasan Miraz faced the media in Mirpur on Monday morning, something they have done countless times, and yet, it was a brand-new experience for both of them.
Usually, the media follow the Tigers in Mirpur, hovering around the ground and stadium premises for a byte or two, or firing questions at them at the press conference room.
But on Monday, it was the captains who made their way into the press box of the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium for the very first time, and faced the media together.
The reason behind this unique meetup was the Bangladesh All-Stars match, set to place today in Mirpur at 5:30pm. The match has been arranged by the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) and will feature two teams -- 'Oparajeyo' and 'Odommyo' -- which will be led by Shanto and Miraz respectively.
Several national team stars and some up-and-coming cricketers will feature in this exhibition match commemorating Bangladesh's Victory Day and funds from the game will be used for the welfare of cricketers.
The session started in a jovial mood but in between the friendly fire of the All Stars match, questions gradually shifted to more serious topics concerning the national team and the captains.
Since taking over the ODI captaincy from Shanto, Miraz has had a torrid time in the hot seat, winning three of nine matches as skipper.
A number of issues are plaguing the ODI side at the moment, one of which is finding a fixed spot for Miraz in the batting order.
"I am a player who has batted in every position -- from one to nine -- for Bangladesh," the all-rounder said on Monday. As captain in 2025, he has batted five times at No. 5, thrice at No. 6 and once at No. 9.
Going by his career average in different positions, the top order is the best place for him as he averages over 43 at No. 1-3, while batting lower down he averages in the 20s.
Still, the ODI skipper claimed he was keen on batting lower down the order in the future due to the impact he has helped create.
"I feel I played more impactful knocks when I batted at No.8 for Bangladesh, when I batted with bowlers," he said.
"I have realised that if I bat at No.6, I would be batting with at least two batters and can also support the tail. I would be able to win more matches for the team… When I bat at the top, I can score runs but I can't guarantee we will win since I already scored runs at No.4 but we didn't win. At the end of the day, winning is the most important as captain," he added.
Meanwhile, Test skipper Shanto, who is currently not a part of the T20I setup, was asked if he was planning to script a comeback into the shortest format with runs in the upcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Shanto, who will play for Rajshahi Warriors, is hoping to make it happen through impactful knocks.
"I feel this BPL is very important for me... If the opportunity comes, I will try to do well so that I can get a chance [in T20Is] again," Shanto said.
"It's very important to leave an impact in T20s. Even if I score big runs [in BPL], the main thing is what kind of impact I am making. That would be my goal in every match," he said.
