Shanto steps down as Bangladesh Test captain citing team’s best interests

The question-and-answer session of the press conference had ended. It was then that Shanto spoke up dramatically, saying, "I have an announcement to make."

What that announcement was had already been widely speculated. Ever since he was removed as the ODI captain, it was being heard that Shanto no longer wanted to continue leading the Test side after the Sri Lanka series. Today, at Colombo's Sinhalese Sports Club ground, after the second and final Test against Sri Lanka, Shanto made it official.

Announcing his decision to step down as Test captain, Shanto said, "I am stepping down from the captaincy of the Bangladesh team. I don't want to continue this responsibility in Tests anymore. I want to make it clear to everyone that this is not for any personal reason. I have made this decision entirely for the betterment of the team, and I believe it will benefit the team. I have had the opportunity to be in this dressing room for several years now. It is my personal opinion that having three captains could be problematic for the team. I am stepping aside for the good of the team. If the cricket board decides to keep three captains, that is their decision."

Explaining further that his decision was not driven by personal emotions, Shanto said, "I hope no one thinks I made this decision out of personal reasons or anger. I assure you, this is for the team's good, and there is nothing personal in it."

In response to a later question, Shanto said he had informed the BCB's cricket operations department of his decision several days ago.

Shanto was appointed captain across all three formats on 12 February last year. Then in May, Litton Das was given the T20 captaincy, leaving Shanto with the Test and ODI roles. Finally, on 12 June this year, BCB surprised everyone by appointing Mehidy Hasan Miraz as ODI captain in place of Shanto, leaving him only with the Test captaincy.

After receiving the leadership role, Shanto had been moving forward with long-term plans, particularly with an eye on the 2027 World Cup. Over the past one and a half years, he built strong understanding with his teammates and also developed a solid working relationship with the head coach and other coaching staff. Even though his personal performances dipped at times, his leadership qualities remained evident.

But just when it was time for the results of his year-and-a-half-long process to show, Shanto was removed from the ODI captaincy. The BCB provided no explanation as to why this decision was made.