Najmul Hossain Shanto to Step Down from Captaincy

Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto has decided to step down from captaincy across all three formats. Shanto has already informed the board of his decision, according to a report by Cricbuzz. It suggests that Mehidy Hasan Miraz might take over as captain for the Test and ODI teams, while Towhid Hridoy is a potential candidate for T20 captaincy.

Not even 10 months into his captaincy, Shanto is preparing to relinquish his role. Since he assumed leadership in February, Bangladesh has faced numerous setbacks, and Shanto has also struggled with his own performance, leading to heavy criticism. He has now decided to free himself from the pressures of leadership.

Cricbuzz reported that the pressures of captaincy have affected Shanto's batting, prompting him to step down after the ongoing South Africa series. Although the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) initially planned for him to lead until the upcoming Champions Trophy, Shanto no longer wishes to continue as captain.

A senior BCB official told Cricbuzz, "Shanto informed us that he is not prepared to lead the team after the South Africa series." Shanto himself added, "Let's see what happens. I'm still waiting to hear from the BCB president on this matter." BCB President Faruk Ahmed is currently abroad, so no official decision has been made.

The report also mentioned that a senior BCB official tried to persuade Shanto to reconsider, but Shanto remained firm. Initially, he had planned to step down from the T20 captaincy after the T20 World Cup but later changed his mind.

So far, Najmul Hossain Shanto has captained Bangladesh in 9 Tests, with 3 wins and 6 losses, 9 ODIs with 3 wins and 6 losses, and 24 T20Is, winning 10 and losing 14 matches.