Breaking News: Najmul Hossain Shanto steps down as Bangladesh test captain

Najmul Hossain Shanto announced the decision following two-match test series against Sri Lanka.

In a massive development, Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down from his role following the conclusion of two-match test series against Sri Lanka Cricket Team, which they lost 0-1. Shanto was appointed as the test captain in November 2023 ahead of a home test series against New Zealand.

Bangladesh commenced their journey in ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 with the test series against Sri Lanka. The opening game ended in a draw. However, the hosts won the second test by a huge margin of an innings and 78 runs.

While Bangladesh showed a wonderful batting form in the first test, they struggled in the second test, getting bowled out for 247 and 133 in both innings. After suffering 0-1 defeat against Sri Lanka in the test series, Shanto announced his decision to leave test captaincy during the post-match press conference.

Took decision for betterment of the team: Najmul Hossain Shanto after leaving test captaincy

While announcing his decision, Najmul Hossain Shanto said that he is stepping down from the role for the betterment of the team. According to him, having three different captains for three different formats is not sensible.

“I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy. 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. If the cricket board feels they will continue with three captains in three formats, that will be their decision,” said Shanto.

“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. I already informed the cricket operations department a few days back,” he concluded.

Earlier this month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the new ODI skipper, replacing Shanto. With Litton Das as their T20I captain, Bangladesh had three different captains for all three formats.

Meanwhile, Najmul Hossain Shanto led Bangladesh in 14 tests. Bangladesh won four games and lost nine matches, while one ended in a draw under his captaincy. With four wins, Shanto ends his captaincy tenure as Bangladesh’s second-most successful captain in tests. His biggest highlight as test captain will be leading Bangladesh to a test series victory against Pakistan.

Last year, Bangladesh whitewashed Pakistan 2-0 in Pakistan under Shanto’s captaincy. They scripted history by winning their first-ever test match as well as first-ever test series against Pakistan during the tour.

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