Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain After Sri Lanka Defeat

Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Relinquishes Test Captaincy

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

Najmul Hossain Shanto recently lost the ODI captaincy © AFP

The announcement came after Bangladesh suffered an innings and 78-run loss to Sri Lanka. Cricbuzz previously reported that Najmul was unlikely to continue in the role.

Addressing the media post-match, Najmul stated, "I have an announcement to make. I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy." He emphasized that his decision was not personal but aimed at benefiting the team. "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."

Najmul further explained his belief that Bangladesh doesn't require separate captains for each format of the game. He had previously stepped down as T20I captain, and the ODI captaincy was recently handed to Mehidy Hasan.

"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 elaborated.

He clarified that his decision was not influenced by the ODI captaincy change. "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," Najmul asserted.

Najmul also revealed that he had informed the cricket operations department of his decision several days prior to the announcement.