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Najmul Hossain Shanto Likely To Resign As Bangladesh Test Captain

Rajgeeta Yadav

Najmul Hossain Shanto [Source: AP Photos]Najmul Hossain Shanto [Source: AP Photos]

Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is likely to resign from his role after the ongoing two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, according to a Cricbuzz report citing a close source. While there’s no official announcement yet, it is believed Najmul is unhappy with how recent events unfolded, especially his removal as ODI captain.

BCB Under Fire As Shanto Expected To Step Down As Test Captain

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) unexpectedly replaced Najmul with Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the ODI captain during an emergency Zoom meeting on June 12. This move shocked many, especially since Najmul had earlier informed the board that he wanted to continue as Test and ODI captain after stepping down from the T20I role to focus on his batting.

A source close to Najmul revealed,  "I think he will not continue as Test captain after the Test series against Sri Lanka."

"I have known him for a long time, and as far as I understand he is not happy with everything that is going around with him," he added on condition of anonymity.

Najmul was initially convinced by former BCB President Faruque Ahmed to stay on as captain in Tests and ODIs. However, the sudden decision to appoint Mehidy as the ODI captain, without following the usual board meeting procedures, left Najmul upset.

The 26-year-old was reportedly informed of his removal just before a scheduled meeting with head coach Phil Simmons, who was left waiting while Najmul was abruptly called by BCB's cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin. This added to Najmul’s frustration, especially since he had already started preparing strategies with players for the upcoming ODI series.

Despite the controversy, BCB President Aminul Islam denied any bad blood. In an interview on June 21, he said, 

"Coming to Shanto's point, his captaincy was not taken away, rather the decision was taken with everyone's consent in the board. We decided to have a new and different plan. As we are currently playing lots of matches of all formats, we wanted to go with three different captains."

Talking about Najmul Hossain Shanto, he has captained Bangladesh in 13 Test matches, scoring 879 runs as skipper. Under his leadership, the team has won four Tests, lost eight, and the most recent match against Sri Lanka ended in a draw. In ODIs, he has led the team in 13 matches as well, winning four and losing nine.