Najmul Hossain Shanto had wanted to continue leading Bangladesh in both Tests and ODIs. But just before the Sri Lanka tour, he was suddenly removed from the ODI captaincy. Since then, rumors began to swirl that he might step down from the Test captaincy as well due to his dissatisfaction with the board’s decision. After the Galle Test, the speculation gained more traction in the country’s media.
However, amidst all the buzz, Shanto finally addressed the issue while speaking to reporters after practice in Colombo on Monday. Regarding the ongoing discussion about his captaincy, he said, “There will always be discussions. I’m not thinking about any of that right now. My full focus is on the Colombo Test.”
Bangladesh captain said, “Speculations and discussions have been ongoing from the beginning, and there will always be more discussions. At the moment, I don’t want to make any comments on this. Because the Test match is in two days, and I want to play it well. I want to contribute in this Test match — both as a captain and as a batter. For now, let the discussions remain where they are.”
He scored two centuries in two innings in Galle, becoming the 16th captain to achieve such a feat. Despite that, he made it clear that stepping down was not on his mind. “The best moment was scoring back-to-back centuries in the last Test. If I had to say something, I could have said it then. But at the moment, I have no such plans.
When asked if he might follow the path of some who retire or give up captaincy after a good performance, Shanto replied, “It’s not like you must step away after a good performance just to make a statement. And it’s also not like you can’t step down after a bad one. What matters is what’s best for the team — whatever benefits the team, that’s what will be done. So right now, it's better not to say too much about it.”
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