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 relinquished his role as the captain of the Bangladesh Test team. This announcement follows Bangladesh's significant defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto after being stripped of ODI captaincy © AFP

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Najmul Hossain stated, "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 clarified his decision, emphasizing the potential complications of having separate captains for each format of the game. Bangladesh recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, with Najmul having previously stepped down from the T20I captaincy.

"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," Najmul explained.

Najmul also addressed concerns about his motivations, stating, "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 confirmed that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department several days prior to the public announcement.