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

Najmul Hossain Shanto has resigned from his position as the Bangladesh Test captain. The announcement follows Bangladesh's heavy defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto recently lost his ODI captaincy © AFP

Najmul communicated his decision at the post-match press conference, stating: "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 explained that he believes Bangladesh doesn't require separate captains for each format of the game. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain after Najmul had already stepped down from his role as T20I captain.

"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," Najmul stated.

He also addressed potential speculation surrounding his decision: "If the cricket board feels they will continue with three captains in three formats, that will be their decision. I just hope people don't see this as a personal issue... I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here."

Najmul confirmed that he had informed the cricket operations department of his decision prior to the public announcement.