Bangladesh appoint Najmul Shanto as their all-format captain: Details
In a massive development, Najmul Shanto has been named Bangladesh's captain for all three formats. As per BCB President Nazmul Hassan, the southpaw will captain the team for the next 12 months. Shanto will lead Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in June instead of Shakib Al Hasan, who was supposed to captain Bangladesh in the mega event.
Shanto to lead in T20 World Cup
The news of Shanto leading Bangladesh in T20I cricket came as a surprise as most people felt that Shakib was supposed to spearhead in the impending T20 World Cup in June. The star all-rounder built a decent T20I setup and also expressed his interest in captaining Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup. However, the management showed their trust in Shanto.
Impressive leadership against New Zealand
Shanto made a mark with his leadership in the Test series against New Zealand as Bangladesh held them to a 1-1 draw. Although Bangladesh lost the three-match ODI series 2-1 against NZ, Shanto's aggressive captaincy stood out. His latest assignment will be the home T20I series against Sri Lanka, starting March 4. It will be followed by an ODI and Test series.
A look at his stats from all formats
Shanto has featured in 25 Tests while amassing 1,449 runs at 30.82. He has smoked five centuries and three fifties. The southpaw has scored 1,202 runs from 42 ODIs at 30.82, slamming two centuries and eight fifties. Lastly, he has compiled 602 runs in 28 T20Is at a strike rate of 112.10. Shanto has hammered three fifties in the shortest format.
His record across formats as captain
Shanto has captained in 11 matches across formats and has compiled 403 runs at an average of 36.63. The southpaw has clobbered two fifties and a solitary hundred as captain. Shanto hammered a 105 against NZ in 2023 on his captaincy debut.
Shanto enters the record books
According to Cricbuzz, Shanto became the first Bangladesh player to score a century in the longest format on their captaincy debut. The Bangladesh batter scored 105 from 193 balls and scored 10 boundaries in the second innings against the Kiwis.
Minhajul Abedin's time as chief selector comes to an end
The BCB also announced the appointment of Gazi Ashraf Hossain as the new chief selector of the senior men's side. Hanan Sarkar was also named as one of the selectors. Hossain has ended Minhajul Abedin's tenure as BCB chief selector. The latter held the post for eight long years. Habibul Bashar's time as a selector also comes to an end.
