Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as Bangladesh Test captain following the 1-0 series defeat against Sri Lanka. He made the announcement at the press conference after Sri Lanka’s innings and 78 run victory at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo.
The left-handed Shanto led Bangladesh in 14 tests who took over the captaincy before the home series against New Zealand in November 2023.
Bangladesh won four matches, including a memorable series win against Pakistan in August 2024. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh also lost nine matches. The first test against Sri Lanka, ended as a draw, was the only drawn Test as captain as Shanto.
Najmul Hossain Shanto performed well with the bat after taking over the captaincy, averaging 36.24, when he was not the captain, he averaged 29.83.
“I don’t want to continue as captain in the Test format anymore. This is not personal. I have taken the decision for the betterment of the team. I think this will help the team. I have been a part of the dressing room for the past few years. I think three captains for the three international formats is not sensible,” Najmul Hossain Shanto.
“I don’t know what the board will feel about this, and I will support their decision. But this is my personal decision. I think three separate captains will be difficult for the team to deal with,” he added.
Najmul Hossain Shanto has clarified that he has decided to step down for the betterment of the team, He said that it is not an emotional call, and he is not disappointed by anything.
“I would want that no one feels this decision is emotional, or that I am disappointed by something. I want to make this clear. This is for the betterment of the team,” said Shanto.
The 26-year old has also stated that he had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) about his decision ‘some days back’. It must be mentioned that he was replaced as the ODI captain by Mehidy Hasan Miraz earlier this month.
