Bangladesh coach Chandika Hathurusinghe backs Najmul Hossain Shanto to become full-time captain

Najmul Hossain Shanto has captained Bangladesh many a times in absence of Shakib Al Hasan.

Bangladesh had a decent white-ball tour of New Zealand. After losing the first two ODIs in Dunedin and Nelson, Bangladesh came back nicely and managed to avoid a whitewash in the ODI series. They dismissed the hosts for just 98 in the final ODI and chased it down to win. Later in the T20I series, they managed to level the series 1-1 with rain washing out the second game of the series.

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe was impressed by the good work done by the Bangladesh side in their recent tour despite coming off dismal performances in Asia Cup and World Cup 2023 campaigns. Chandika Hathurusinghe has also made a huge statement on Bangladesh’s captaincy dilemma and batted for stand-in captain Najmul Hossain Shanto for a full-time role.

Najmul Hossain Shanto becoming obvious choice

Najmul Hossain Shanto is currently leading the Bangladesh side in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan, while the search for a new captain is still on in Bangladesh cricket. Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe praised Shanto’s leadership skills and said, “The leadership of Shanto. Outstanding. He was tactically spot on, and very clear with the messages with the players, what he expects from them.” 

While talking about Najmul Hossain Shanto as full-time Bangladesh captain, Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe added, “I think they (the Bangladesh selectors) will strongly think about that. Of course, it’s a board decision, but Shanto has shown enough evidence for them to take him seriously.” Shanto was also the deputy of Shakib Al Hasan in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. 

Najmul Hossain Shanto has so far captained Bangladesh in 2 tests, 6 ODIs, and 3 T20Is, in which Shanto managed to win one match in each format. He also had a terrific year with the bat and scored 5 international hundreds in calendar year 2023. Bangladesh have one month left before their next tour to Sri Lanka in February and March 2024.

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