BCB President confirms Najmul Hossain Shanto will remain Captain but T20 leadership could change

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President, Faruque Ahmed, has made an important announcement regarding the leadership of the national cricket team. 

Speaking on Friday, January 3, he confirmed that while captain Najmul Hossain Shanto is currently out due to injury, he will return as the leader once he is fully recovered.

Shanto was appointed as the captain across all formats at the start of 2023. 

Despite his leadership success, there have been concerns about his form, especially with the bat in T20 cricket, leading to some debate over his position as captain.

Faruque Ahmed stated, “Shanto is out of action because of an injury. But when he comes back, he will continue as the captain. 

From the start, we had planned for him to lead the team until the Champions Trophy, and there is no reason for us to change that decision now.”

However, while Shanto will remain captain for both the ODI and Test formats, the situation is different when it comes to T20 cricket. 

Faruque hinted that the captaincy in this format could be up for discussion. “Shanto is not fully comfortable with leading in T20s, so we are considering other options for that role. But the T20 series is still a little way off,” he added.

When asked about Litton Das potentially taking over as T20 captain, Faruk spoke highly of Litton’s recent leadership. 

"Litton has shown great leadership qualities in recent series, even though his batting form has not been up to expectations. His cricketing intelligence and ability to lead have stood out," he said.

Faruque further explained, “There’s no direct link between a player’s captaincy and their batting form. Since taking over, Litton has proved himself as a leader, and I’m confident he will return to form soon. He will definitely be considered when we make the decision for the T20 captaincy.”

The announcement has put the spotlight on Bangladesh’s leadership as they look ahead to upcoming challenges, with Shanto’s injury and Litton’s potential as a future captain being key talking points.