Khairul Alam, Dhaka: A surprising turn of events in Bangladesh cricket: Nazmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as the Test captain. This comes after speculation that he was unhappy with Mehidy Hasan Miraz being appointed as the ODI captain, a move that reportedly didn’t sit well with him. So, with Shanto out, the big question is: who will be the next Test captain for the Tigers?
It was an open secret that Nazmul Hossain Shanto wasn’t entirely pleased with Mehidy Hasan Miraz being made the ODI captain. While he didn’t say it publicly, sources close to him hinted at his deep frustration and anger. There was even talk that he might give up the Test captaincy as well.
That speculation has now turned into reality. Today, June 28, after the second and final Test in Colombo, Shanto confirmed that he no longer wishes to captain the Test team. He clarified that he wasn’t blaming anyone, but felt that having three different captains for three formats in the same dressing room wasn’t comfortable.
Shanto stated, “I’ve had the opportunity to be in this dressing room for a long time over the past few years. It’s my personal opinion that three captains can be a problem for the team. I’m stepping aside for the good of the team. If the Cricket Board thinks they should keep three captains, that’s their decision.” He added, “I hope no one thinks I made this decision due to personal reasons or out of anger. This is for the team’s benefit; there’s nothing personal here.”
With Shanto’s resignation, the immediate question is about appointing a new Test captain. It remains to be seen who the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will choose. Nazmul Abedin Fahim, Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee, currently overseeing the national team, told Jago News from Sri Lanka, “Shanto leaving the captaincy in the middle of a series is not exactly comfortable for the BCB.”
Evaluating Shanto’s contribution as captain, Fahim admitted, “I think Shanto was the best possible choice, even if it was for one format. He possesses all the qualities of a good and ideal captain. I believe among the players we have, Shanto was the best possible choice for Test cricket. We’ve lost a leader.”
Since such a “best possible choice” is now unavailable, what will the BCB do? Will they embark on a mission to find a new captain? Fahim confessed, “Now we have to find someone new. We will discuss it immediately.”
It’s widely known that Bangladesh will play only two more Tests this year—a two-match home series against Ireland later this year. Fahim’s comments make it clear that the BCB wants to find and finalize the Test captain well in advance.
So, who could be the new Test captain? Director Fahim’s answer was, “We will try to pick the best option. We want to give the responsibility to whoever we feel is the best captain to take our Test team forward.”
But who are these options? It’s impossible to make someone a Test captain whose position in the team isn’t 100% secure. You can’t appoint someone whose place in the squad isn’t guaranteed.
Honestly, there are very few “automatic choices” in the Bangladesh team. Shanto was one of them. After him, only Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam are on that auto-choice list. Now, the BCB will have to pick a captain from among them.
Among these, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim have both been Test captains before. As performers, both were moderately successful, but both were also removed from the position. So, it’s unlikely either of them would want to return to leading the team.
Furthermore, Mushfiqur’s Test career is nearing its end. It’s believed he might retire from Test cricket once he completes his 100th Test match. He is just two Tests away from becoming the first Bangladeshi cricketer to play 100 Tests.
Reportedly, Mominul, too, has conveyed that he doesn’t want to take on the responsibility of leading the team again, possibly due to past experiences. That leaves Litton Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Taijul Islam.
Taijul’s position in the team is 100% secure; he is currently Bangladesh’s number one bowler in Tests. However, the chances of entrusting him with the heavy responsibility of captaincy are very slim. This narrows down the potential Test captain candidates to two: Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Litton Das.
It’s worth noting that both Litton and Miraz are already captains in one white-ball format each. Litton Das is the T20 captain until the T20 World Cup next year. And Mehidy Hasan Miraz has recently taken on the significant responsibility of the ODI captaincy.
Since both Litton and Miraz are already captains in one format, whoever is chosen for the Test captaincy will end up leading in two formats. Now, the question is whether the BCB will do that, or if they will choose someone else entirely for the Test format. It remains to be seen if the BCB will appoint the same person as captain for both red-ball (Tests) and white-ball (ODIs/T20s) cricket.
BCB Director Nazmul Abedin Fahim hinted at this: “We will consider several options to find the best possible captain. The one who is deemed the best will be given the responsibility.” The decision will be crucial for the future of Bangladesh Test cricket.