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Najmul Hossain Shanto Steps Down As Bangladesh Test Captain After Colombo Defeat

Debashis Sarangi

Najmul Hossain Shanto resigns as Test captain [Source: AP]Najmul Hossain Shanto resigns as Test captain [Source: AP]

In a significant development, Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down as Bangladesh's Test captain following his side's crushing defeat in the decider of the two-match series against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Led by Shanto, Bangladesh were steamrolled by the home side, which claimed an emphatic win, riding on Prabath Jayasuriya's sensational five-wicket haul. 

Shanto Leaves Test Captaincy As Tigers Get Shaky Start To WTC 2025-27

The fourth day of the high-voltage second Test witnessed Bangladesh's lower-order collapse as Prabath Jayasuriya ran through the visitors' line-up with a fifer. As soon as the game concluded, Shanto decided to resign from Test captaincy, leaving a massive void in the Tigers' leadership group. 

Hailed for his stylish batsmanship, Najmul Hossain Shanto enjoyed stellar success in the Sri Lanka Tests, emerging as Bangladesh's most successful batter in the two-match series. Batting at three, the southpaw amassed 300 runs, including two successive tons in the first Test, at a magnificent average of 100. 

Although the exact reason behind Shanto's resignation has yet to be found out, several reports have claimed that the batter was unhappy after being suddenly replaced by Mehidy Hasan Miraz as Bangladesh's captain in white-ball cricket. 

As reported earlier, Shanto had considered leaving the captaincy after the BCB announced Miraz as the new ODI skipper via a Zoom call on June 12. 

Najmul Hossain Shanto's Test Captaincy Record

Shanto had a roller-coaster ride as Bangladesh's Test captain. He led the Tigers in 14 Tests after assuming the role in 2023. During his tenure, the South Asian nation won four and lost nine Tests, including the recent defeat against the Lankans in Colombo. Now that he has left Test captaincy, it will be interesting to see which player the BCB picks as his replacement.