Najmul Hossain Shanto likely to quit as Bangladesh captain

All-format captain Najmul Shanto has already communicated to Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) about his decision to step down after the second Test against South Africa. He was appointed for one year in February 2024 and was given the task of leading the team till the Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan but interestingly, four months before the tournament, the 26-year-old decided to step down.

BCB, however, hasn’t accepted his resignation yet. President Faruque Ahmed is currently abroad and will make a decision once he returns. Meanwhile, one of the officials confirmed the development, while the captain himself opened up on the matter and stated that he is currently waiting for the president to arrive and make a decision.

“Yes, he informed us that he is not ready to lead the side after the South Africa series,” an official told Cricbuzz.

“Let's see what happens (as far as leading Bangladesh is concerned) because I am still waiting to hear it from the president (BCB),” Shanto mentioned without elaborating further.

As per reports, Shanto wanted to step down as T20I captain after the T20 World Cup 2024 in June. However, he changed his mind later on and wanted to step down from all three formats of the game. He hasn’t opened up on the reason behind it, but the Bangladesh officials are ready to appoint new captains if Shanto ends up quitting.

Mehidy Hasan Miraz is expected to be appointed as the new Test and ODI captain. The all-rounder was terrific in the series against Pakistan and did well in the first Test against South Africa but failed to take the team home as the Proteas won by seven wickets.

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Meanwhile, Shanto has led Bangladesh in nine Test matches, losing six. He led the team to a series victory in Pakistan, which remains his biggest highlight as far as captaincy is concerned. In ODIs, Shanto once again led in nine matches, losing six. When it comes to the shortest format, he led in 24 games and won only 10.