Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Series Defeat

Najmul Hossain Shanto has resigned from his position as captain of the Bangladesh Test team. This announcement follows Bangladesh's heavy defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Speaking at the post-match press conference, Najmul Hossain stated, "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... this is not a personal matter. It is entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe this will help the team."

He further elaborated on his decision, explaining that he felt having three different captains for three formats was not ideal for the team's progress. Bangladesh recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and Najmul Hossain had previously stepped down as T20I captain.

"Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to be in this dressing room, and I don't feel it is logical to have three captains for three formats... In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down," he stated.

Najmul Hossain also clarified that his decision was not influenced by being removed from the ODI captaincy. "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... this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here," he emphasized.

He confirmed that he had already communicated his decision to the cricket operations department several days prior to the announcement.