It has been just eight months since the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed the left-handed middle-order batter Najmul Hossain Shanto the captain of the side across formats and expected to be led in the upcoming 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which is scheduled to take place in February.
The last few weeks have been a merry-go-round ride for Najmul Hossain Shanto, under whose leadership the Tigers claimed a historic two-match Test series in Pakistan for the very first time. But, they didn’t enjoy a great time in India, losing the first red-ball game in Chennai and then being blown away in Kanpur in nearly three days.
Under his captaincy, Bangladesh was handed over a 3-0 T20I series defeat by the Suryakumar Yadav-led side. Returning home, they lost the opening game of the two-match Test series against South Africa by seven wickets, having bundled out for just 106 in the first innings.
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Najmul Hossain Shanto also went into the shell and struggled to get the runs. He has already informed the members of the board about quitting his place and is currently waiting to get the board president, Faruque Ahmed, to approve it.
“Yes, he informed us that he is not ready to lead the side after the South Africa series.” A BCB official has confirmed the news to Cricbuzz, as they will start their preparation for their upcoming trip to the Caribbean.
Bangladesh to select new captain replacing Najmul Hossain Shanto
The batter, himself, has admitted the decision to leave the position as he waits to hear the final verdicts from the Bangladesh Cricket Board members.
“Let’s see what happens (as far as leading Bangladesh is concerned) because I am still waiting to hear it from the president (BCB).” Najmul Hossain Shanto confirmed.
The BCB director, perhaps, has been trying to convince him to change his decision, which seems to be unlikely to happen at the moment. The reports have addressed that at the end of the 2024 T20 World Cup, where they ended at the bottom of the super-eight stage of the tournament with three defeats in as many games, the batter decided to step down from the T20I captaincy.
Najmul Hossain Shanto has smashed 1721 runs in 32 games at an average of 28.68, with the help of four half-centuries and five centuries at a best score of 163. In the ODI format of the game, the 26-year-old has cracked 1365 runs in 44 innings at an average of 33.29 and a strike rate of over 80, shouldering in eight half-centuries and three centuries.
In the shortest format, he has struggled the most with 960 runs in 47 innings at an average of 22.85 and a strike rate of 108.35, with the help of four half-centuries. The lean patch of his captaincy put him under scrutiny, as eventually, he agreed to lead the side after the South Africa series.
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As it looks to be, the board might hand over the Test and ODI captaincy to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, while Towhid Hridoy could take charge of the T20 side.
Najmul Hossain Shanto led Bangladesh in nine Tests and earned three wins and six losses. In nine ODIs, he has lost six and won three fixtures, while in the 24 T20Is, the Tigers went over the line on ten occasions. However, the appointment of the new leader will be an interesting decision from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
