The fate of the Colombo Test and Najmul Hossain Shanto's captaincy was decided yesterday and the outcome in both cases was ill-fated but not unexpected.
“Bijoy bhai has scored heavily in domestic cricket. We needed someone experienced at the top because our openers have not been consistent in the past year,” Shanto defended.
Shanto didn’t lash out. He didn’t name names. But his departure is a loud, unmissable protest.
Najmul Hossain Shanto’s tenure as Bangladesh’s Test skipper came to an end on Saturday when the Southpaw announced he was stepping down from the role following an innings and 78-run defeat to Sri Lanka in Colombo.
Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down as Bangladesh's Test captain after the Tigers' innings and 78-run loss to Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo today.
Bangladesh will aim for a rare slice of history when they take on Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground in Colombo today, hoping to seal their first-ever Test series victory over the hosts.
Former Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar has voiced support for under-fire opener Anamul Haque Bijoy, suggesting that the team management should give the struggling batter "one more chance" despite a poor showing in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle.
Come June 26, Bangladesh will be completing its 25 years in Test cricket.
Sri Lankan great Angelo Mathews received a warm reception from the Bangladesh team during his farewell Test in Galle, which ended in a draw yesterday. The visitors gave him a guard of honour during his first-innings walk to the crease and later greeted him warmly after the match.
Bangladesh were outplayed in every department in their 28-run loss (DLS) to Australia in their first Super Eight fixture of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Antigua today as skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto was left regretting not putting up a decent enough total on the board.
"It is not possible that every day the bowlers will make the team win. I hope they make us win every day, that's what I hope for but the batsmen also have a responsibility.
With the Super 8s berth, the Tigers also secured a direct qualification for the 2026 T20 World Cup, to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
At one end, there is captain Shanto, a smart leader who has been brave with his use of bowlers, excellent with his on-field decisions, has taken a number of gutsy calls, and almost all of his gambles have come off.
Bangladesh players trained at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown today ahead of their final Group D fixture against Nepal at the same venue on Monday. A win against Nepal will seal qualification to the Super 8s for the Tigers alongside group-leaders South Africa.
For Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, the lack of runs at the venue meant that both Bangladesh and South Africa have equal chances, going into the game on Monday.
Bangladesh managed to reignite their confidence after winning their opening T20 World Cup fixture against Sri Lanka in New York on Saturday. Having come under immense scrutiny in their build-up to the major event, Najmul Hossain Shanto’s side seemed to have turned a corner and now eye a place into the Super 8s of the tournament following the thrilling win against the Lankans. With an encounter against South Africa up next, The Daily Star’s podcast Pitch Perfect brings you a discussion about Bangladesh’s chances to go through to the next stage.
Quite a few aspects like planning, execution, and process – things that Bangladesh players resort to while stating their expectations ahead of a game -- came through in their thrilling two-wicket win over Sri Lanka at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas yesterday.
Leg-spinner Rishad Hossain ended with 3-22 and Taskin Ahmed (2-25) chipped in with a pair of wickets as Sri Lanka were restricted to 124-9 and then Towhid Hridoy smashed four sixes in his 40 from 20 balls as Bangladesh reached the target with an over to spare.
The Tigers eager to prove their critics wrong.
