Najmul Hossain Shanto set to lead Bangladesh in Test series at home against New Zealand

Najmul Hossain Shanto has been appointed as Bangladesh captain for the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand at home.

The development comes as Shakib Al Hasan suffered an injury to his left index finger while batting against Sri Lanka in the 2023 World Cup. The injury ruled the all-rounder out of the last league game against Australia in Pune. The 36-year-old is currently undergoing rehab and is estimated to recover in three to four weeks.

Shanto will now become the 13th Test captain for Bangladesh. In the red ball format, he has amassed 1283 runs in 23 Tests, including four centuries.

BCB cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus said, as quoted by Cricbuzz:

"Najmul Hossain will lead the side in the upcoming two-match Test series against New Zealand.”

The first Test will be played in Dhaka from November 28, while the second Test will take place in Dunedin (December 6-10).

Shanto recently led Bangladesh in two matches during the 2023 World Cup but failed to register a single win.

The 25-year-old, however, looked decent with the bat in the marquee tournament, scoring 222 runs in nine matches, including two half-centuries.

In the 50-over tournament, Bangladesh finished eighth in the points with just two wins in nine games. As a result, they also failed to automatically qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy by failing to finish in the top seven.

Yunus said:

"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."

Yunus added:

"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."

---

Litton Das rested for Bangladesh's two-Test series against New Zealand

Litton Das, meanwhile, has been rested for the two-match Test series against New Zealand after the 2023 World Cup.

Yunus said:

"He (Litton) wanted leave for one month 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."

He added:

"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 newborn baby and her mother and as he insisted several times, we approved his plea.”

In the 2023 World Cup, Das amassed 284 runs in nine games at an average of 31.55, including two half-centuries.

Meanwhile, West Indies’ Colly Collymore will replace Allan Donald as Bangladesh’s pace bowling coach.

The two-match Test series will be followed by three ODIs and as many T20Is next month.