Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns After Series Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto has resigned from his position as the Bangladesh Test captain, Cricbuzz reported earlier. The announcement came after Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday, losing by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto during a press conference © AFP

Addressing the media at 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."

He emphasized that his decision was not based on personal reasons, adding, "This is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team."

Najmul Hossain further explained his belief that Bangladesh did not require separate captains for each format of the game. This decision follows Bangladesh's recent appointment of Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and Najmul's earlier resignation 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. 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 elaborated.

He also addressed potential speculation regarding his motives, clarifying, "If the cricket board feels they will continue with three captains in three formats, that will be their decision. 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. I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here."

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