Shanto unwilling to continue as Bangladesh captain

Bangladesh cricket team captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is unwilling to continue in his role, an international cricket media reported on Saturday.

The news came as the Bangladesh team is gearing up for the second Test against South Africa in Chittagong, starts on October 29.

Cricbuzz, a cricket website, reported that he is not willing to continue in his role and has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of this. Shanto said that he is now waiting for a response from the board.

Shanto, a left-handed batter, was appointed as Bangladesh’s captain in all formats in February 2024.

Shanto informed the board that he wants to step down as captain after the upcoming second Test against South Africa.

It’s unclear what he showed the board behind his move. Recently, he was scrutinized for his dismal performance with the bat, and his captaincy also failed to show any innovative approaches that can characterized as good captaincy.

The board has yet to say anything about Shanto’s decision to quit captaincy. It’s not clear who will take over the captaincy if he eventually resigns from the post.

Shanto led Bangladesh in nine Tests, nine ODIs, and 24 T20Is. Under his captaincy, Bangladesh’s most famous success came when they beat Pakistan 2-0 in a two-match Test series.