Shanto Steps Down as Bangladesh Test Captain
Najmul Hossain Shanto has resigned as Bangladesh Test captain following the team’s 1-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka. The announcement came during a post-match press conference in Colombo after Bangladesh lost the second Test by an innings and 78 runs.
The 26-year-old cited the challenge of having three different captains across formats as his primary reason for stepping down. “I don’t want to continue as captain in this format,” Shanto told reporters. “This is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team.”
A Decision for Team Unity
Shanto had informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of his decision before making it public. He emphasized that his resignation wasn’t personal but aimed at reducing confusion within the team structure. Currently, Bangladesh has Mehidy Hasan Miraz leading in ODIs and Litton Das captaining the T20I side.
BCB’s cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim expressed surprise at the timing. “We have been discussing the matter for some time, but I had no idea that he would announce it today,” Fahim said. “He has done well as a captain and is a good leader. If he had continued, it would have been very good for us.”
Mixed Legacy But Personal Growth
Under Shanto’s leadership, Bangladesh won four out of 14 Tests. His tenure began with a victory over New Zealand in Sylhet in November 2023 and peaked with a series win against Pakistan in August 2024. During the Sri Lanka series, he became the first Bangladesh captain to score two centuries in a Test match.
His batting average improved significantly during his captaincy stint, rising from 29.83 to 36.24. Shanto initially took over as a temporary captain when Shakib Al Hasan was injured, before being given the full-time role across all formats in early 2024.
The timing of recent events may have influenced his decision. Just before the Sri Lanka tour, BCB replaced him as ODI captain with Mehidy on the same day Shanto had stressed the importance of long-term ODI leadership at a press conference.
“I just hope people don’t see this as a personal issue or think I did this because I felt bad about the ODI captaincy snub,” Shanto clarified. “There is nothing personal here.”
Bangladesh won’t play Test cricket again until October when they host Ireland. This gives BCB ample time to identify their next Test captain, with either Mehidy or Litton likely candidates for the role.
