Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Resigns Following Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain has resigned from his position as Bangladesh Test captain. This announcement follows Bangladesh's significant defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto after being removed from ODI captaincy © AFP

Najmul made his decision public during the post-match press conference. "I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy," he stated. "I don't want to continue as captain in this format, and I want to give a clear message to everyone: 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 reasoning, suggesting that having separate captains for each format was not ideal for Bangladesh cricket. "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. This is completely my personal opinion."

Najmul emphasized that his decision was made with the team's best interests at heart. "If the cricket board feels they will continue with three captains in three formats, that will be their decision. 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."

It was revealed that Najmul had already communicated his intentions to the cricket operations department prior to the official announcement.