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.
Even though the left-hander is the designated anchor in the Bangladesh top-order, his career strike rate of 109.64 is not up to par in T20Is.
“We are not thinking about what has happened before. We know how capable we are, we have to be brave and execute our plans.”
Having only seen the facility through photos and various time lapses in the build-up, Najmul Hossain Shanto was floored seeing the stadium in person.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said the mix of youth and experience was important to the team and, in particular, he hoped Mahmudullah Riyad and Shakib Al Hasan’s experience would guide them during the difficult stages of the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto urged fans and senior players of the team support them during their tough times in the T20 World Cup.
The South Asian nation is one of nine countries to have played all T20 World Cups since the tournament began in 2007 but is alone in never having made it to the knockout stage.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, the current Bangladesh captain in all three formats, is feeling that pressure right now. His struggles with the bat in T20Is are as clear as daylight. In his last 10 outings in the format, Shanto has scored just 189 runs at a strike rate of a little over 102.
When your opponents rest key performers from the series in a dead rubber game, how fruitful are even positive results you get from the game? That is exactly what Bangladesh were left with after winning the third and final T20I against USA on Saturday.
Najmul Hossain Shanto, the Bangladesh captain was pleased with the way his team had responded to the two losses in the week.
Journos who cover Bangladesh men’s cricket team matches have a pretty good idea as to what the Tigers may say following any particular game.
