BAN vs SA: Najmul Hossain Shanto to Step Down From Captaincy After 2nd Test Against South Africa - Report

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Najmul Hossain Shanto is reportedly set to step down as the captain of Bangladesh across all three formats after the completion of the Test series against South Africa next week.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, Shanto has already conveyed the message to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that he wants to relinquish captaincy from all three formats of the game.

The report further added that the Bangladesh batter made the decision following their seven-wicket defeat against South Africa in the first Test which finished earlier in the week in Dhaka.

Shanto had been appointed as skipper across all formats in February 2024 as the BCB had plans for him to lead the team in the Champions Trophy next year. However, the recent decision from the skipper, will need the board to find a new captain.

There are also reports that a senior BCB director is attempting to persuade Najmul to reconsider his decision to step down as captain, but a reversal appears unlikely at this point.

During his tenure, Najmul has had a mixed record, leading Bangladesh in nine Tests, winning three and losing six. The highlight of his captaincy stint was leading the team to a historic series win in Pakistan.

In the white ball format also his record does not read well. In ODIs, the left-handed batter captained in nine matches with three wins and six losses. In T20Is, he led the team in 24 games, securing 10 wins.

If Shanto does not change his mind, all-rounder Mehidy Hasan is the front-runner to be appointed as captain for Tests and ODIs, while batter Towhid Hridoy is likely to be named skipper for T20Is.

The second Test between Bangladesh and South Africa will kick off from October 29 till November 2. Following that Bangladesh will travel to the UAE to play three ODIs against Afghanistan, with the first game on November 6, the series will end on November 11.

After the conclusion of the ODI series against Afghanistan, the Bengal Tigers will travel to the Caribbean Island to take on West Indies for an all-format series.