Najmul Hossain Resigns as Bangladesh Test Captain Following Sri Lanka Defeat

Najmul Hossain has resigned from his position as the Bangladesh Test captain. The announcement follows Bangladesh's recent defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Najmul Hossain Shanto recently lost the ODI captaincy. © AFP

Najmul made the announcement at the post-match press conference, stating, "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."

He further elaborated on his decision, explaining that he believes Bangladesh does not require three different captains for the three formats of the game. Mehidy Hasan was recently appointed as the ODI captain. Najmul also previously stepped down as T20I captain.

"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...having three captains will be difficult for the team. So, for the betterment of the team, I am stepping down," he said.

Najmul addressed concerns that his decision was influenced by losing the ODI captaincy. He stated, "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...this is for the betterment of the team. There is nothing personal here."

He confirmed that he had informed the cricket operations department about his decision several days prior to the public announcement.