After ODIs, Najmul Hossain Shanto shockingly quits Test captaincy post SL vs BAN 2025 Tests

After a humiliating defeat against Sri Lanka in Colombo on June 28 (Saturday), Najmul Hossain Shanto, in a sudden announcement after the match, stated that he decided to step down from his leadership role for the 'betterment' of the team.

Sri Lanka hammered the Tigers down in Colombo with the help of Pathum Nissanka's century and Prabath Jayasuriya's five-wicket haul. The host team defeated Bangladesh by an innings and 78 runs. Following this result, Shanto decided to put off the captaincy armband.

In the post-match press conference, he said, "I don't want to continue as captain in the Test format anymore. This is not personal. I have made the decision for the betterment of the team. I think this will help the team."

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During this crucial announcement of his career, the batter also expressed his disagreement with a decision by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). BCB took the three-format, three-captain theory, which Shanto is not supporting.

Shanto exposed displeasure over BCB's decision

In his clear statement he continued, "I have been a part of the dressing room for the past few years. I think three captains for the three international formats is not sensible. I don't know what the board will feel about this, and I will support their decision. But this is my personal decision. I think three separate captains will be difficult for the team to deal with. I would want no one to feel this decision is emotional or that I am disappointed by something. I want to make this clear. This is for the betterment of the team." 

Shanto was phenomenal in the first match of the 2-match series against Sri Lanka. In both innings, he stepped up with tons. In the first innings of the match, the middle-order batsman scored 148 against 279 deliveries. In the next essay, the 26-year-old is unbeaten for 125 runs after facing 199 deliveries.