There have been some drastic changes in the Bangladesh cricket scene over the last few months. For one, there is no coach in the team right now as Chandika Hathurusingha quit his job to join the Sri Lanka team.

And then there is a new captaincy issue. After a series of poor performances in Tests, Mushfiqur Rahim has been relieved of his duties as the captain of the longest format in favour of Shakib al-Hasan. Speaking to the press after being appointed as the new captain, the all-rounder, who was the captain of the side for two years from 2009 to 2011, claimed that he doesn’t entirely remember what happened back then.

“I don’t remember [what happened the last time],” Shakib quipped when asked about his previous experience. He was then reminded of how he was removed from captaincy, to which he replied: “It’s alright, a lot of things happen in life.”

As more questions followed, Shakib al-Hasan gave a matured take and had his answers on the ready. Speaking about Bangladesh’s Test scenario, he stated that the team have done well in the format recently and that he looks forward to try his best.

“It is a new responsibility [being the captain]. We have done well in Tests of late.

“We won against Sri Lanka and also Australia and England at home. We will try to do as good as we can from this situation.”

When asked about the biggest challenge that he would face as the captain, he said that he “doesn’t know” and that he is “currently with the challenge of BPL” and “let BPL be over and let the training camp commence – that’s when we will realize what challenges lie ahead.”

He was also asked about the allegations that Chandika Hathurusingha had against him, but Shakib refrained from making a comment as he sought to avoid controversy.

When asked about his opinion on the vice-captain, Mahumdullah Riyad, he stated that all the senior players on the team have a say in the decision-making process and their opinions are what forms the final result.

“We have a lot of senior players that help in decision-making and we actually take all the decisions together.

“It doesn’t matter if there is a captain or not, when we are on the pitch, everyone’s contribution matters.

“[Mahmudullah] Riyad bhai has been captaining in the BPL for a few seasons now and has done well there. He has leadership abilities from before itself, so I think my job will be easier.”

The last time Shakib was the captain of the team, Bangladesh didn’t have as many performers as they have now. And that makes Shakib all the more confident about his chances this time around.