Najmul Hossain Shanto steps down as Bangladesh’s T20I captain

Najmul Hossain Shanto has officially stepped down as the captain of Bangladesh’s T20I team, a senior Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official confirmed on January 2. Shanto’s decision to relinquish the T20I captaincy came after the home series against South Africa.  

Initially, Shanto planned to resign after the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup. However, BCB President Faruque Ahmed persuaded him to continue as captain for the Test and ODI formats. Shanto was later named captain for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, during which he suffered an injury. Following this, he expressed a desire to step down as captain in all three formats of the game.  

"Shanto has informed us that he will no longer lead in T20Is, and we have accepted his decision," a BCB official said. "As there are no T20Is scheduled for now, we are not rushing to appoint a new captain. If there are no injury issues, Najmul will remain the captain for Tests and ODIs," the official added.  

Litton Das is considered a strong contender for the T20I captaincy. He has already led the team, guiding them to a 3-0 series win against the West Indies, and has expressed interest in taking on the role permanently. Another potential candidate is Mehedy Hasan, who has previously served as a stand-in captain during tours when the regular captain was unavailable.  

For now, Shanto will continue to lead the team in the ICC Champions Trophy.  

During his time as T20I captain, Shanto led Bangladesh in 24 matches, securing 10 wins, 13 losses, and one no-result.