Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to step down from the leadership after the conclusion of the ongoing home Test series against South Africa.
Bangladesh Cricket has appointed Najmul as captain for all three formats for a year in February 2024, with plans for him to lead the team in the Champions Trophy next year.
Najmul has informed the board of his decision to step down and is awaiting approval from BCB president Faruque Ahmed who is currently in abroad and is expected to return soon.
A BCB official said, “Yes, he informed us that he is not ready to lead the side after the South Africa series.”
Najmul confirmed the same by elaborating on his decision to leave the leadership role. “Let’s see what happens (as far as leading Bangladesh is concerned) because I am still waiting to hear it from the president (BCB),” he said.
A senior BCB director is attempting to persuade Najmul to reconsider his decision to step down as captain. Following the defeat in the Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Najmul initially planned to resign from T20 captaincy, but now decided to quit as captain across all formats.
Najmul’s captaincy stint has faced severe criticism due to a prolonged period of poor results. A BCB official mentioned that if Najmul declines to continue as captain, the board might appoint Mehidy Hasan as captain for Tests and ODIs with Towhid Hridoy to lead the side in the T20 format.
During his captaincy tenure, Najmul led Bangladesh in nine Tests, winning three and losing six, including a historic series win over Pakistan. In ODIs, he captained nine matches with three wins and six losses, while securing 10 victories in 24 T20 matches.
Currently, Bangladesh suffered a seven-wicket victory in the first test against South Africa at home and is set to play their second match starting on October 29 at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.
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