Najmul Hossain Shanto to continue as Bangladesh captain for another year

Najmul Hossain Shanto will captain Bangladesh in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka, which is set to commence on June 17 at the Galle International Stadium. The left-handed batter has been retained as the skipper in the red-ball format for one more year.

On Wednesday, June 4, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 16-man squad that will face Sri Lanka later this month. Mehidy Hasan Miraz is set to continue as Shanto's deputy against the Lankan Lions.

Shanto, who has scored 1,889 runs from the 35 Tests he has played so far, will look to inspire his team to produce a promising result in Sri Lanka as Bangladesh fans are fuming after the Tigers have had some forgettable outings in recent times.

After their early exit in the Champions Trophy, Bangladesh drew a Test series at home against Zimbabwe under Shanto's leadership. While the tourists won the first Test in Sylhet, the hosts saved their blushes by drawing level in Chattogram. However, a drawn series at home against a relatively inexperienced Zimbabwe side wasn't what the Bangladesh fans were expecting.

Since this assignment, Bangladesh have lost back-to-back T20I series against the UAE (1-2) and Pakistan (0-3). It is high time the Tigers put smiles back of the faces of their passionate supporters.

“Top-order batter Najmul Hossain Shanto has been retained as Bangladesh’s Test captain for another year, continuing in the leadership role he assumed in 2024. All-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz also continues as the vice-captain, maintaining the leadership pairing that led the team in the previous season," BCB said in a statement.

DDCA thanks BCCI after 'Best Pitch and Ground’ award

Also Read

DDCA thanks BCCI after 'Best Pitch and Ground’ award

Sri Lanka to resume cricket action with home series against Bangladesh

While Galle is the venue for the first Test, the second Test will be held at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. After the Test series, the two Asian sides will lock horns in three ODIS and as many T20Is. Colombo, Pallekele, and Dambulla are the venues for the white-ball fixtures.

The Sri Lankan team has not been in action since they won a two-match ODI series against Australia in Colombo in February. Just prior to the 50-over matches, Dhananjaya de Silva-led Sri Lanka were whitewashed in a two-match Test series in Galle by the Aussies.

Bangladesh’s Test squad for the two-match series vs Sri Lanka:

Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Shadman Islam, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Mominul Haque Showrab, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Kumer Das, Mahidul Islam Bhuiyan, Jaker Ali Anik, Mehidy Hasan Miraz (VC), Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Hasan Murad, Ebadot Hossain Chowdhury, Hasan Mahmud, Nahid Rana, and Syed Khaled Ahmed.