• Home
  • Cricket News
  • Why Bangladesh Have Dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto From T20i Squad Vs Sri Lanka

Why Bangladesh Have Dropped Najmul Hossain Shanto From T20I Squad vs Sri Lanka

Aashay Chopade

Najmul Hossain Shanto for Bangladesh (Source:@BDCricTime/X.com)Najmul Hossain Shanto for Bangladesh (Source:@BDCricTime/X.com)

Bangladesh have announced a 16-member squad for the three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka. They have made five changes to their squad, and one of them is a big decision to drop Namjul Hossain Shanto.

The reason for dropping Najmul Hossain Shanto is his poor run of form in the shortest format since 2024. The batter scored 358 runs in 21 innings at an average of 18.84 and a strike-rate of 102.57. 

Shanto's Below-Par Strike-Rate, A Hurdle In T20 Cricket

Overall, his career strike-rate is just 109.06 in Test cricket, which is way below par according to the standards of modern-day T20 cricket. Thus, with Bangladesh hoping to change their style of cricket under the leadership of Litton Das, they have decided to go with more aggressive options.

In recent times, Tanzid Hasan and Pravez Hossain Emon have opened for Bangladesh in T20Is. Both of them have done well and with Litton Das batting at 3, there is hardly any place for Shanto at the top of the order.

Selectors Reward Domestic Form After Poor Result In Pakistan

Bangladesh also have players scoring in domestic cricket, which created pressure on selectors to drop Shanto. Mohammad Naim is now back in the team after his consistent scores in the 2024-25 domestic season. The left-handed batter scored 511 runs in the last BPL season with an average of 42.58 and strike-rate of over 140.

Also, Shanto recently featured in only one game out of the six matches Bangladesh played in the UAE and Pakistan. It was a clear indication of the new management's dislike for his style of play, and now they have taken a bold decision to drop him.

Along with Shanto, another top-order batter, Soumya Sarkar, has also been dropped. Bangladesh lost their last two T20I series and would be hoping that the change in arsenal will change their fortunes.