Najmul Hossain Shanto resigns as Bangladesh Test captain: Details here
What's the story
Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as the captain of Bangladesh's Test cricket team. The decision comes after his side's heavy defeat in the second and final Test match against Sri Lanka in Colombo. Under Shanto's leadership, Bangladesh suffered a crushing innings and 78-run loss, giving Sri Lanka a 1-0 series victory. The series opener ended in a draw as Shanto slammed twin hundreds.
Match details
Sri Lanka hammer Bangladesh in 2nd Test
Bangladesh started Day 4 at a precarious 115/6, still trailing by 97 runs. Their hopes of avoiding an innings defeat were dashed when left-arm spinner Prabath Jayasuriya struck early in the morning session. He dismissed Litton Das for 14, sending the last recognized batter back to the pavilion and triggering a collapse in Bangladesh's batting order. The team was soon folded for 133.
Personal achievements
Shanto was Bangladesh's best performer in Sri Lanka series
Despite Bangladesh's defeat, Shanto was the team's top performer in the two-match series against Sri Lanka. He scored a total of 300 runs at an impressive average of 100, including two centuries in the first Test. His stellar batting performance was one of the few highlights for Bangladesh during this challenging tour.
Statement
Here's what Shanto said
"I don't want to continue [as captain] in the Test format anymore. This is not personal. I have taken the decision for the betterment of the team," Shanto said after the Colombo Test. "I think three captains [for the three international formats] is not sensible. I don't know what the board will feel about this, and I will support their decision. But this is my personal decision," he added.
Information
Who are Bangladesh's captains in white-ball cricket?
As of now Mehidy and Litton Das are Bangladesh's designated skippers in ODIs and T20Is, respectively. Notably, Shanto also stated that he had informed the BCB's cricket operations department of his decision "some days back".
Reasoning
Probable reason behind Shanto's resignation
As per Cricbuzz, Shanto's decision was influenced by his dissatisfaction with recent events. This includes the manner of his removal from ODI captaincy, which was announced during an emergency Zoom meeting by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on June 12, where Mehidy Hasan Miraz was appointed as ODI captain for a year. Shanto was reportedly taken aback by BCB's decision.
Shanto
Here are his leadership stats
As per ESPNcricinfo, Shanto led Bangladesh in 14 Tests since first taking over the charge in 2023. He claimed just four wins in this period as the Tigers lost nine matches under him. The southpaw scored 906 runs at 36.24 in this period, including three tons and a couple of fifties. Overall, he has compiled 2,189 Test runs at an average of 32.19.