Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Series Defeat

Najmul Hossain has resigned from his position as the Bangladesh Test captain. This announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat to Sri Lanka by an innings and 78 runs in Colombo. Reports had previously indicated that Najmul's continuation as Test skipper was uncertain.

Najmul Hossain Shanto after being removed from ODI captaincy © AFP

During the post-match press conference, Najmul 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 his belief that Bangladesh does not need separate captains for each of the three formats of cricket. Recently, Mehidy Hasan was appointed as the ODI captain, while Najmul had previously relinquished his role as T20I captain.

He elaborated, "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."

Najmul emphasized that his decision was not influenced by personal feelings regarding 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... this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here."

He concluded by stating that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department a few days prior to the announcement.