Najmul Hossain Shanto: BAN Cricketer Steps Down As Test Captain After SL Series Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down from the captaincy role as Bangladesh's Test captain immediately after his side's 2-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo on Saturday.

As per report in Cricbuzz, the southpaw was not in favour of continuing in the role of Test captaincy after being removed as ODI captain.

Shanto announced his resignation from the Test captaincy role at the press conference after Bangladesh lost the Test by an innings and 78 runs. He said, "I don't want to continue [as captain] in the Test format anymore."

"This is not personal. I have taken the decision for the betterment of the team," Shanto said. "I think this will help the team. I have been a part of the dressing room for the past few teams. 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.

"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.

Shanto captained Bangladesh in 14 Tests, that saw the Bangla Tigers win four games, with the most memorable being the series victory in Pakistan in August 2024. However, under his leadership, they lost in nine Tests.