Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Skipper

Najmul Hossain Shanto has relinquished his role as the Bangladesh Test captain. This decision comes after Bangladesh's disappointing defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo, where they lost by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto addressing the press after stepping down. © AFP

During the post-match press conference, Najmul stated, "I have an announcement to make. 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 that his decision stemmed from the belief that Bangladesh doesn't require separate captains for each format of the game. It should be noted that Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain, and Najmul had previously stepped down from his role as T20I captain.

Najmul explained, "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."

He also emphasized that his decision should not be misconstrued as a personal reaction to being removed from the ODI captaincy. "I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here," he asserted.

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