Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down from Test captaincy, marking the end of his leadership in red-ball cricket. Earlier, he had voluntarily relinquished the T20I captaincy, and more recently, the BCB removed him from the ODI captaincy without much discussion. In his place, Mehidy Hasan Miraz was appointed as the new ODI captain. Now, strong speculation suggests that Miraz could also take over the Test captaincy.
Reportedly, Shanto had informed the BCB’s cricket operations department that if he wasn’t retained as ODI captain, he no longer wished to continue as the Test captain either. His reasoning was clear: having three different captains in a single dressing room could negatively impact the team in multiple ways.
Following Shanto’s resignation, the BCB has begun deliberating on appointing a new Test captain. While no official announcement has been made yet, a decision is expected ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Ireland in November.
Alongside Miraz, other names being considered for the role include Liton Das, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque and Mushfiqur Rahim. However, Mushfiqur is nearing the end of his career and may not be interested in taking on such responsibility at this stage. Former Test captain Mominul has already made it clear that he has no intention of returning to the leadership role.
Given these circumstances, Mehidy Hasan Miraz appears to be the front-runner to become Bangladesh’s next Test captain.
