Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain After Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain Relinquishes Bangladesh Test Captaincy

Najmul Hossain has stepped down from his role as the Bangladesh Test captain. This announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo, where they lost by an innings and 78 runs.

Najmul Hossain Shanto was recently stripped off ODI captaincy © AFP

Addressing the media at the post-match press conference, Najmul stated, "I am stepping down from the Bangladesh Test captaincy. I don't want to continue as captain in this format...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 highlighted that Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain, and he himself had previously relinquished the T20I captaincy.

"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... 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 also addressed potential speculation regarding his decision, stating, "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 confirmed that he had communicated his decision to the cricket operations department a few days prior to the public announcement.