Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Sri Lanka Defeat

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

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Addressing the media post-match, Najmul Hossain stated, "I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy... This is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team."

Najmul Hossain further explained his decision, citing concerns about the practicality of having separate captains for each format of the game. He highlighted that the Bangladesh cricket board recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and he himself had previously stepped down as T20I captain.

He elaborated: "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 Hossain emphasized that his decision was not influenced by personal feelings regarding the ODI captaincy change. "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," he asserted.

He also confirmed that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department several days prior to the public announcement.