Kolkata : Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down from his role as T20I skipper.
According to a report by Cricbuzz, Shanto was not keen on leading the side after the home series defeat against South Africa. He initially decided to step down from captaincy duties only in the T20I format after the T20 World Cup 2024 held in the West Indies and the USA but subsequently decided to let go of the leadership role in all formats after Bangladesh’s dismal outing in the tournament.
However, BCB President Faruque Ahmed’s intervention prevented him from stepping down. Therefore, Shanto continued the role for the 3-match ODI series against Afghanistan where he eventually picked up an injury.
“Shanto finally told us that he won’t lead in the T20Is and we accepted it but as we don’t have T20Is at the moment, we have time in hand so we are not picking a new captain,” a BCB official mentioned in report.
“If there is no injury issue Najmul will remain the captain in Test and ODIs and we have discussed it,” he said.
Litton Das is frontrunner in the leadership role on a long-term basis after helping the team win 3-0 against the West Indies.
For ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in February, Shanto will continue leading the side in ODI format. Mehedy Hasan could be the interim skipper for the West Indies’ 50-over and Test tour.
Shanto has won a total of 3 Tests out of 10 as captain. This includes the win against New Zealand in 2023 along with the 2 away Tests against Pakistan last year. In ODIs he has four wins out of 11 and in T20Is, Shanto has led Bangladesh to 10 wins in 24 games as captain.
