Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Resigns After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain, the Bangladesh Test captain, has officially stepped down from his position. This announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo, where they lost by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto: Stepping down for the team's benefit © AFP

In a post-match press conference, Najmul Hossain addressed the media, stating, "I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy." He emphasized that his decision was not personal but rather "entirely for the betterment of the team." Najmul believes that this change will ultimately benefit the squad.

Najmul further explained his rationale, suggesting that Bangladesh doesn't necessarily need separate captains for each format of the game. This decision comes after Mehidy Hasan was appointed as the ODI captain. Najmul had previously relinquished his role as T20I captain as well.

He articulated, "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 added, "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."

According to Najmul, he had already communicated his decision to the cricket operations department a few days prior to the public announcement.