Massive setback for Bangladesh, Najmul Hossain Shanto steps down as T20I captain

Najmul Hossain Shanto has officially stepped down as Bangladesh T20I captain. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Faruque Ahmed told a local newspaper that Shanto had informed the board of his decision but will continue to lead in Tests and ODIs.

Bangladesh recently played a three-match T20I series against West Indies where Shanto missed the action as he was on the road to recovery from the injuries he got during the Afghanistan ODI series.

In his absence, Mehidy Hasan Miraz captained Bangladesh in ODI and Test where visitors drew the Test series 1-1, before they lost the ODIs 3-0. Litton Das then led the T20I side to a 3-0 series win.

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After resigning from T20I captaincy Shanto will be seen leading Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy where they will lock horns against India for their opener clash of the tournament on February 20, 2025.

"Shanto has finally informed us that he will not continue as the T20I captain. We have accepted his decision. There's however no T20s coming up, so we will not think about a new captain just yet. We have an understanding with Shanto that when he is fit, he will continue as the Test and ODI captain," Faruque told the Dhaka-based Prothom Alo on Thursday.

Shanto's captaincy records

Shanto-led Bangladesh in 20 T20Is where the side managed to win 10 matches and in ODIs he Shanto-led side managed to win four matches out of 11 outings. Under Shanto's captaincy, the Bangladesh Test team registered historic Test wins against New Zealand and Pakistan.

After winning a T20I series against West Indies, Litton Das will likely to be the new Bangladesh captain for the shortest format of the game.