Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto has resigned from his position as the Bangladesh Test captain. This announcement comes after Bangladesh suffered a heavy defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Addressing the media following the match, Najmul Hossain stated, "I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy." He emphasized that his decision was made for the betterment of the team. "I don't want to continue as captain in this format, and I want to give a clear message to everyone: 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 his belief that Bangladesh did not require separate captains for each format of the game. He had previously stepped down as T20I captain, and the ODI captaincy was recently given to Mehidy Hasan.

"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 stated.

He clarified that his decision was not 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."

Najmul also mentioned that he had communicated his intentions to the cricket operations department several days prior to the public announcement.