Hathurusingha backs Shanto to take Bangladesh’s reins for the long term

Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha spoke highly of Najmul Hossain Shanto's captaincy and leadership capabilities, hailing him as a strong contender to take the Tigers' reins for the long term. 

The Najmul Hossain Shanto-led Bangladesh started off their third World Test Championship cycle in the most dominating way, thrashing a full-strength New Zealand side by 150 runs in the first of the two-Test series in Sylhet last Saturday. 

Shanto, who is leading the side in this series in the absence of regular skipper Shakib Al Hasan who is missing out due to a finger injury, drew a lot of praise and admiration for the way he handled things on his first outing as the national team's captain.

"His captaincy was excellent because tactically he was really on the mark. He was a step ahead of the game most of the time. He had set very impressive field placing as well, sometimes unorthodox and very effective," Hathurusingha said on Tuesday ahead of the Tigers' second Test in Mirpur tomorrow.   

Shanto became the first Bangladeshi cricketer to smash a century on his Test captaincy debut when he scored a 198-ball 105 in the second innings of the Sylhet Test. 

"His leadership was also excellent. He led from the front with his performance -- batting as well as commanding respect and demanding the standard [from players]. That's a good thing. I think he has a good future ahead. The board has to make a decision [regarding] his captaincy or leadership [for the long term] and the board will take a decision when the time comes," Hathurusingha added. 

Just before the start of the Test series, Shanto had expressed his willingness to take on the captaincy role for the long term, mentioning that he has the "ability to lead the team in all formats." 

"Definitely," said Hathurusingha today when asked if he thought Shanto was a strong contender for the captaincy role.