New Delhi: Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down from Test captaincy following the 1-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka. He made the announcement at the press conference after Bangladesh lost the Test by an innings and 78 runs.
Shanto 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.” He added, “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.”
Earlier this month, Mehidy Hasan Miraz replaced Shanto as Bangladesh’s ODI captain.
Shanto captained Bangladesh in 14 Tests after taking over ahead of the home series against New Zealand in November 2023. Under his leadership, Bangladesh won four matches—including two back-to-back victories in Pakistan in August 2024—while losing nine. The opening Test in Sri Lanka was the only one that ended in a draw. With the bat, Shanto performed better as captain, averaging 36.24 compared to 29.83 when not leading. In the four Tests that Bangladesh won under him, he averaged 37.16.
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