Bangladesh Test Captain Najmul Hossain Resigns After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain has resigned from his position as Bangladesh Test captain, following the team's defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

He made the announcement during the post-match press conference after Bangladesh's innings and 78-run loss to Sri Lanka on Saturday. Sources indicated earlier that Najmul was unlikely to remain the Test skipper.

Najmul explained his decision: "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, 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 that he felt having separate captains for all three formats (Test, ODI, and T20I) was not ideal for the team's progress. Bangladesh recently appointed Mehidy Hasan as the ODI captain, and Najmul had previously stepped down as T20I captain.

"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. The cricket board might think otherwise, and I fully respect that. In my view, having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down," he stated.

Najmul also addressed potential speculation regarding his motives: "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."

He confirmed that he had informed the cricket operations department of his decision several days prior to the public announcement.