Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as the captain of Bangladesh's national T20I team. While reports of his resignation had been circulating widely on the internet, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has now seemingly confirmed the decision.
This follows his earlier indication that he would relinquish the position after the conclusion of the home series against South Africa.
Initially, Shanto had planned to resign from the T20I captaincy after the 2024 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. However, after further consideration, he chose to step away from leadership duties across all formats.
The BCB had initially accepted Shanto's decision to resign, but a twist occurred when BCB President Faruque Ahmed intervened, reinstating Shanto as captain for the three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. Unfortunately, an injury during the series disrupted his leadership.
A senior BCB official confirmed, "Shanto finally told us that he won't lead in the T20Is, and we accepted it. But since we don't have T20Is at the moment, we have time on hand, so we are not picking a new captain."
The official also clarified that, barring injury issues, Shanto will continue as captain for Tests and ODIs, with ongoing discussions within the board.
With the T20I captaincy now vacant, the BCB has decided to appoint Litton Das as the new captain for the format. Litton, who recently led Bangladesh to a 3-0 series victory over the West Indies, expressed his willingness to lead the T20I side in the long term. He is expected to continue in the role for the upcoming series and beyond.
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