Najmul Hossain Shanto has decided to step down as Bangladesh’s Test captain after his team lost the Test series against Sri Lanka 1–0. He made the shocking announcement in a press conference soon after the end of the match, noting that it wasn’t a ‘personal’ decision, but one he was taking for the betterment of the team.
“This is not personal. I have taken the decision for the betterment of the team… 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 was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying.
“I would want that no one feels this decision is emotional, or that I am disappointed by something. I want to make this clear. This is for the betterment of the team.” he added
Shanto also noted that he had informed the BCB’s cricket operations department of his decision ‘a few days ago’. Earlier this month, Mehidy Hasan Miraz replaced Shanto as Bangladesh’s ODI captain.
Shanto’s career as Test captain:
Shanto had led Bangladesh in 14 Test matches so far since he took charge of the national side during the home series against New Zealand in November 2023. Under his leadership, Bangladesh won 4 matches (2 of which were back to wins in Pakistan last year) but the team lost 9 matches.
As captain, Shanto scored runs at an average of 36.24 compared to his career average of 29.83. Moreover, in the four Test matches that the Bangladesh won, he scored at an average of 37.16, as per ESPNCricinfo.
