Shanto to lead Bangladesh in Test series versus New Zealand
Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to captain Bangladesh in the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand, as announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. He will assume the role of the 13th Test captain for Bangladesh when the first Test commences on November 28 in Sylhet.
Bangladesh’s regular Test captain Shakib Al Hasan has been sidelined from the series due to a finger fracture sustained during their 2023 ODI World Cup clash against Sri Lanka. Additionally, there were previous reports indicating that Litton Das, the vice-captain of the Test team, will skip the New Zealand series to be with his family.
“Najmul Hossain will lead the side in the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand,” BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said.
“He (Litton) wanted leave for leave for one months and didn’t want to play two Tests as he wanted to give time to his family. We have granted it because we cannot push any player to play. We wanted him to play the second Test but he insisted that he wants to give time to his family for one month. He wanted to be with his new born baby and her mother and as he insisted for several times. We approved his plea,” Yunus added.
He added that there is uncertainty about his availability for the remainder of the New Zealand tour, which includes three ODIs and as many T20Is following the Test series.
“If some cricketer doesn’t want to play, in that case you cannot put him in the national team because the professionalism need to come from the heart that ‘I want to play for my country’ and he must know whether he is available or not,” he further said.
Everyone has to take the blame for the World Cup: Yunus
Corey Collymore, currently serving as the pace bowling coach with the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) High-Performance Unit, will step in to replace Allan Donald, who recently stepped down, for the two Tests against New Zealand. Additionally, David Hemp, the head coach of the High-Performance Unit, is anticipated to join the team management group. The BCB is set to convene in the upcoming days to assess its performance in the Cricket World Cup. Yunus mentioned that everyone must take responsibility for the team’s performance in the marquee event.
“Everyone has to take the blame for the World Cup. We have sat with the president in this regard and will be having a board meeting where it will be discussed,” he said.
He continued by saying that the BCB is uncertain about Shakib leading the ODI side after his recovery, even though the all-rounder has publicly expressed his reluctance to lead the team. He added that if the number one ODI all-rounder is unavailable, the management will have to appoint someone.
“We don’t know officially about it. He is injured and after November 28 we will know where he stands injury wise and that is reason we are not saying anything about it (ODI captaincy). If he is not available then we have to give it to someone and if we have to give it to someone for a long term basis and the decision will come from the board,” Yunus concluded.
