Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as Test captain of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Test captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto has decided to step down from the role of a skipper, immediately after his team losing the Test series 1-0 against Sri Lanka. In his 14th Test as a captain, Bangladesh were defeated by an innings and 78 runs in the second Test played in Colombo.

Announcing his decision in the post-match press conference, Shanto cleared he took this step for the betterment of the team and it shouldn’t be confused as an emotional decision. He shared that having different captains for all three formats is not practical and could create chaos in the team. He also mentioned that he had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) about this decision earlier. In a most recent development, Mehidy Hasan Miraz replaced him as an ODI skipper.

“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. 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” Shanto said. He also added that he will support whatever the board decide next.

Najmul Hossain Shanto as a Test Career as Captain

Shanto became the Test captain in November 2023 before the series against New Zealand in home conditions. During his time as a captain, Bangladesh played 14 Tests. The team won 4 matches, lost 9, and drew 1. Notably, Bangladesh achieved a historic series win (2-0) in Pakistan under his leadership.

Shanto also performed well with the bat while leading the side. His batting average as captain was 36.24, which was better than his career average of 29.83. In the matches that Bangladesh won under his captaincy, he scored runs at an average of 37.16. He also hit two centuries in the first Test of the Sri Lanka series, only one Test in his captaincy to conclude in a draw.

Shanto’s resignation comes after he was recently removed as an ODI captain. Bangladesh will now look for a new leader in Tests as they continue their World Test Championship campaign.

🏏 Najmul Hossain Shanto Overall Test Stats