Nazmul Hossain Shanto has been Bangladesh’s captain since the 2023 World Cup. However, at that time, he was given the leadership role for just one year, which was later extended until the Champions Trophy.
In the meantime, Shanto had once informed the BCB of his desire to step down from the captaincy. However, the board convinced him to stay on. That said, he stepped down from the T20 captaincy at the end of last year but continues to lead the team in the other two formats. It is still unclear whether he will continue as the ODI captain. But he will remain the Test captain for another year, as announced yesterday in a BCB statement.
In the press release issued by BCB, it stated:
“Top-order batter Nazmul Hossain Shanto will continue as Bangladesh’s Test captain for another year, a role he assumed in 2024. Mehidy Hasan Miraz will continue as vice-captain. This pair led the Test team last season and will remain in their respective roles.”
The fourth cycle of the ICC Test Championship is starting soon, with Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka marking the beginning of their campaign. Shanto will lead the team at the start of this journey.
The Bangladesh team is set to travel to Sri Lanka later this month for the series, where they will play two Test matches. On Wednesday (June 4), BCB announced a 16-member squad for the Test series, naming Nazmul Hossain Shanto as the captain. It was also in this announcement that it was confirmed he will remain captain until 2026.
However, it is still uncertain whether Shanto will continue as the ODI captain. Under his leadership, Bangladesh’s performance in ODIs has not been very promising. From returning winless in the last Champions Trophy to being whitewashed in the previous West Indies series — such results do not exactly work in his favor.
In this situation, it remains to be seen whether the BCB will continue to place its trust in him. That will become clearer during the upcoming ODI series against Sri Lanka.
