- July 2, 2025
Another skipper bites the dust, and once again, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is making headlines, this time for all the wrong reasons. Najmul Hossain Shanto is statistically the most successful Test captain in Bangladesh‘s short history in the sport, as always resigned. However, one question for the fans has to be, “Did he have a choice to resign?” Or has the BCB once again mistaken pruning for nurturing, clipping leadership wings before they’ve had a chance to fly?
A Promising Captain Cut Short
The statistics may shed some light to start. In his 14 Tests, Shanto achieved 4 wins (1 of which was a draw). That’s a win percentage of 28.57, which is greater than that of both Shakib al Hasan (21.05%) and Mushfiqur Rahim (20.58%). These are not jaw-dropping figures, but for the context of Bangladesh Tests, it’s a pretty respectable stats line.
That’s not to say there weren’t moments of madness. Shanto had calm heads and steady nerves, and for once, it felt like we were looking at a leader trying to develop something for the long haul.
His ODI captaincy was taken away from him in a most unprofessional way, minutes before a meeting scheduled with the head coach. No heads-up, no explanation, just a decision delivered like a ruling. An incident like that not only erodes confidence, but it also shows a total lack of system and respect.
Leadership or Liability?
This is not the first time a Bangladeshi captain has seen a tumultuous departure. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has a long history of mismanagement of captaincy transitions in this country. Just think back to 2000. Aminul Islam Bulbul— our first World Cup captain— was set to captain the country in our first Test match against India, when Naimur Rahman was suddenly made captain. Political machinations had been simmering in the boardroom subconsciously for months, and Aminul was almost removed from the squad altogether until Naimur Rahman said, “We have to play Bulbul bhai.”
Sound familiar?
From Aminul to Shakib to Mashrafe to Shanto, they always seem to leave through political, rushed, and undignified channels. What kind of message does that send to players considering stepping up into leadership? That it is not worth the gamble?
Fear Over Freedom: The Bigger Problem
Former players like Khaled Mashud have rightly raised questions about this process. He pointed out that when these sudden things happen, it can destroy a captain’s confidence – and worse, it can make others shy away from the opportunity to even captain the side in the future. Just put yourself in the shoes of someone who’s ended up as a captain and you have a chance to be the next captain, you see your captain being sacked overnight. Would you still want to put yourself forward?
Fear is a dangerous emotion. Captains should be emboldened, not insecure. Yet in Bangladeshi cricket, captains are treated as interchangeable cogs. There is no real structure to develop leadership, no pathway, no support when things get hot.
Even BCB’s chairman of cricket operations, Nazmul Abedin, admitted that the communication breakdown was his fault. When the people in charge admit to their foul-up, it often illustrates how weak the entire system is.
So, the real question remains: will Bangladesh cricket ever sustain a leadership culture, or are we fated to keep starting over each time we meet challenges? Let’s hope we don’t lose any more potential leaders before the board realizes that.
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