Najmul Hossain Shanto appointed as Bangladesh test skipper in upcoming New Zealand series

Najmul Hossain Shanto to lead Bangladesh side in red-ball format for the first time.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced Najmul Hossain Shanto as captain of Bangladesh test team for the upcoming series against New Zealand starting later this month. Najmul Hossain Shanto has been given the charge in the absence of regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan, who will miss the series due to a finger injury. Shakib Al Hasan was also ruled out of the final league game of Bangladesh in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. 

Bangladesh opener Litton Das will also be missing the series as he will be on parental leave during Kiwi team’s tour of Bangladesh. New Zealand will be playing two test matches against Bangladesh starting on November 28 at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. Najmul Hossain Shanto also led Bangladesh team in two World Cup games when Shakib got injured before India game in Pune due to a quad tear. Shakib also missed the game against Australia.

Najmul Hossain Shanto to lead Bangladesh

Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) cricket operations committee chairman, Jalal Yunus, said, “Litton has been granted leave for one month; he is not available for the two Tests. He wants to spend time with his newborn baby. We had requested that he play at least the second Test match, but he insisted on being away for the whole series. That’s why we granted him leave. As a result, Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the side in these two Tests.”

This will be the first assignment of Najmul Hossain Shanto as test captain of the team. Najmul Hossain Shanto has played 23 test matches for Bangladesh so far and scored 1283 runs at an average of 29.83 and smashed four centuries for his team. Najmul’s first-class number has been brilliant, as he has smashed 12 centuries in his career in 118 innings. Shanto played a great 90-run knock against Sri Lanka to end Bangladesh’s losing streak in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Shakib Al Hasan was willing to leave the captaincy of Bangladesh’s side after the World Cup, as he revealed in an interview before the World Cup. BCB Cricket operations committee chief Jalal Yunus said that Shakib has not heard anything like that from Shakib Al Hasan yet. Former Bermudian batter David Hemp has been appointed as Bangladesh’s batting coach, and Corey Collymore has been appointed as bowling coach temporarily.

For more updates, follow Khel Now Cricket on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.