Najmul Hossain Shanto has decided to step down from his role as Bangladesh’s T20I captain. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Faruque Ahmed confirmed this news, mentioning that Shanto informed the board about his decision. However, he will keep leading the team in Test matches and One Day Internationals (ODIs).
“Shanto has finally informed us that he will not continue as the T20I captain. We have accepted his decision. There’s however no T20s coming up, so we will not think about a new captain just yet. We have an understanding with Shanto that when he is fit, he will continue as the Test and ODI captain,” Faruque told the Dhaka-based Prothom Alo on Thursday.
Background of the decision
Earlier, in October, Shanto had shown unwillingness to handle the captaincy across all formats. However, Faruque Ahmed managed to convince him to continue leading the team in all forms of cricket. Unfortunately, Shanto suffered an injury during an ODI against Afghanistan in November. This injury kept him out of the West Indies tour.
During that tour, Mehidy Hasan Miraz took over as the Test and ODI captain. Bangladesh tied the Test series 1-1 but lost the ODIs 3-0. Litton Das then led the team to a 3-0 victory in the T20I series. It’s unclear if this result led to Shanto stepping down, but Mehidy and Litton’s growing roles in leadership are positive signs for Bangladeshi cricket.
Shanto’s journey as captain
Shanto was appointed as the all-format captain of Bangladesh in February 2024 following impressive performances against New Zealand. His leadership came in the wake of Shakib Al Hasan’s absence. Although the team had a strong start, their performance in T20Is was disappointing, with losses in series against Sri Lanka and USA. They reached the Super Eight stage of the T20 World Cup but failed to win any matches.
Individually, Shanto’s form in T20Is was lacking, managing only one fifty in 24 matches and averaging 18.76. His future in Bangladesh’s T20I team will depend on his performance in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).
Who will be the next captain of Bangladesh?
Bangladesh’s next T20I series is expected to be against Zimbabwe in March. Litton Das could be a strong candidate for the captaincy role given his leadership in the West Indies. However, his recent batting form in white-ball cricket has been inconsistent, which might affect the decision.
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