Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto has relinquished his role as the captain of the Bangladesh Test team. The announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Shanto made the announcement at the post-match press conference, stating his decision was driven by the team's best interests.

"I have an announcement to make," he 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 elaborated on his belief that having separate captains for each format (Test, ODI, and T20I) was not ideal for the team's cohesion. Bangladesh recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and Najmul had previously stepped down 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," Najmul Hossain Shanto explained.

He emphasized that his decision was not influenced by being overlooked for the ODI captaincy. "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 reiterated.

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