Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Sri Lanka Defeat

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

Najmul Hossain Shanto recently lost his ODI captaincy © AFP

Addressing the media after the match, Najmul Hossain stated, "I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy."

He emphasized that his decision was not personal but motivated by the team's best interests. "I don't want to continue as captain in this format, and I want to give a clear message to everyone: this is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team," he clarified.

Najmul further explained his belief that Bangladesh doesn't require separate captains for each format of the game. He highlighted that Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain, and Najmul himself had previously stepped down as the 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. This is completely my personal opinion. The cricket board might think otherwise, and I fully respect that. In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down," he stated.

He also addressed concerns that his decision might be linked to being overlooked for the ODI captaincy. "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. I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here," he asserted.

Najmul confirmed that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department prior to the official announcement.