Najmul Hossain Shanto has been selected Bangladesh Test captain for the next two-match series against New Zealand at home, which begins later this month. Shanto was promoted when Litton Das, who captained the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Dhaka in June, was allowed a month’s paternity leave. Litton’s replacement at the helm, Shakib Al Hasan, is out with a fractured finger.
“Litton has been granted one month’s leave and will be unavailable for the two Tests.” “He wants to spend time with his new baby,” said Jalal Yunus, chairman of the BCB’s cricket operations committee. “We asked him to play at least the second Test match, but he insisted on staying for the entire series.” That’s why we gave him permission to depart. As a result, in these two Tests, Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain the team.”
Shanto has played 23 Tests, averaging 29.83 with four hundreds, but has never led Bangladesh in the format before. He has captained them in three One-Day Internationals (ODIs), including twice at the 2023 ODI World Cup when Shakib was injured for the games against India and Australia.
Shakib’s immediate future in international cricket is uncertain, including as the ODI captain for the series in New Zealand next month. There was the finger injury, and then there was the TV interview before the World Cup in which he announced his retirement plans. Yunus stated that the BCB has not been informed directly of his plans to step down as captain after the World Cup.
Yunus stated that the BCB will meet with Tamim Iqbal, who missed the World Cup due to a dramatic series of events, on November 22. Tamim has been out of play since the September ODI series against New Zealand at home.
Bangladesh Test squad: Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Naeem Hasan, Syed Khaled Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Shahadat Hossain Dipu, Hasan Murad
