Najmul Hossain 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 recent defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off 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 the decision was not personal but aimed at improving the team's structure. "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."

Najmul further elaborated on his belief that Bangladesh does not require separate captains for each format of the game. He mentioned that Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain, and Najmul himself had previously relinquished the T20I captaincy.

He explained, "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."

Najmul clarified that his decision was made with the team's interest at heart and was not influenced by being removed from the ODI captaincy. He reiterated, "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 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 concluded by stating that he had already communicated his decision to the cricket operations department.