Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns: Bangladesh Test Captaincy Vacant After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain

Najmul Hossain Shanto has relinquished his role as the captain of the Bangladesh Test team. This decision follows Bangladesh's recent defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo, where they lost by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto announces his resignation. © AFP

During the post-match press conference, Najmul Hossain stated, "I have an announcement to make. 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."

Najmul further explained that he felt having three different captains across the three formats of the game was not ideal for Bangladesh. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and Najmul had previously stepped down from 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. This is completely my personal opinion," Najmul commented. "The cricket board might think otherwise, and I fully respect that. In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down."

He also addressed concerns that his decision was influenced by being overlooked for the ODI captaincy. "I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here," he emphasized.

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