Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto Resigns Following Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain, the Bangladesh cricketer, has resigned from his position as Test captain. This announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Addressing the media after the match, 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."

Najmul further explained that he believes having separate captains for each format – Test, ODI, and T20I – is not ideal for the team's cohesion. He had previously relinquished the T20I captaincy, and the ODI captaincy was recently given to Mehidy Hasan.

"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 clarified.

He also addressed any potential speculation about his decision being influenced by the ODI captaincy change. "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. I want to make it clear again: this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here," Najmul Hossain emphasized.

Najmul confirmed that he had already communicated his decision to the cricket operations department prior to the public announcement.