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

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

Najmul Hossain Shanto's ODI captaincy recently ended © 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 clarified that his decision stemmed from a belief that Bangladesh doesn't require separate captains for each format of the game. Mehidy Hasan recently took over the ODI captaincy, and Najmul had previously relinquished his role as T20I captain.

Najmul 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. This is completely my personal opinion... In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down."

He also addressed potential speculation about his motives. "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... 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 announcement.