Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Sri Lanka Defeat

Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns from Test Captaincy

Najmul Hossain Shanto has officially stepped down from his role as the Bangladesh Test captain. The announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto's tenure as ODI captain was cut short. © AFP

Shanto made the announcement at the post-match press conference, stating, "I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy. I don't want to continue as captain in this format... this is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team."

He further explained his decision, suggesting that Bangladesh may not benefit from having separate captains for each format of the game. It is worth noting that Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain. Najmul had previously relinquished his role as T20I captain.

"Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to be in this dressing room, and I don't feel it is logical to have three captains for three formats... In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down," he elaborated.

Addressing potential speculation about his motives, Shanto clarified, "I just hope people don't see this as a personal issue or think I did this because I felt bad about the ODI captaincy snub... this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here."

He also confirmed that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department several days prior to the public announcement.