Najmul Hossain Shanto, a batter for Bangladesh, has been left out of the T20I team for the forthcoming three-match series against Sri Lanka. Days after he resigned as Test skipper after a 1-0 series loss in Sri Lanka, the news was made.
Najmul Hossain absence was one of five significant changes made to the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) 16-man roster for the July 10–16 series. Najmul Hossain 2024 T20I performance has been disappointing. He only managed one fifty and an average of 18.84 in 21 games this year. His problems persisted even after he relinquished the T20I captaincy in January to concentrate on his hitting. He was included in the squad for the May series against Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, however he only participated in one of the six games.
Mohammad Naim, the left-handed opener, has been called up to replace him. Naim, who has been dominating the BPL and NCL T20s with 827 runs at an average of 37.59 and a strike rate of 140.40, has been in scorching form on the local circuit. In addition to the southpaw, players from the previous T20I lineup, including Soumya Sarkar, Hasan Mahmud, Tanvir Islam, Nahid Rana, and Khaled Ahmed, have also been omitted.
In the meantime, after a stellar domestic season following his vacation from cricket, Mohammad Saifuddin returns after a year-long absence. Following their recovery from injuries, Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman have also returned. Shoriful Islam has kept his spot despite having a groin ache. Tanvir Islam is replaced in the spin department by Nasum Ahmed.
Najmul Hossain makes his resignation as Test captain public.
Following the 1-0 series loss to Sri Lanka, Najmul Hossain resigned as Test captain. Declaring that he had previously notified the board, he made his resignation public. Najmul Hossain had a mixed tenure after being named an all-format captain in late 2023 after Shakib Al Hasan’s injury. Under him, Bangladesh defeated Pakistan and New Zealand in historic victories and won four of their fourteen Test matches.
During his time as captain, he also saw an improvement in his Test performance, averaging 36.24 as opposed to 29.83 as a regular. However, many questioned his long-term role in the leadership group after Mehidy Hasan Miraz took over as ODI captain earlier this year. With Litton Das leading the T20I team and Mehidy now commanding the ODIs, the Test captaincy is up for grabs before their upcoming red-ball match against Ireland in October.
Bangladesh’s T20I team for the series against Sri Lanka:
Mohammad Naim Sheikh, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali Anik, Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Shamim Hossain Patwari, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, and Litton Kumar Das (Captain).
India
