Najmul Declines Offer to Return as Bangladesh Test Captain

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been unable to persuade Najmul Hossain Shanto to resume leadership duties, as the former captain has firmly declined an offer to return as Test skipper.

According to BCB sources, Najmul — who stepped down as Test captain earlier this year after being removed from his ODI captaincy role — informed board officials that he is “not interested in leading the team at the moment,” despite fresh discussions about reinstating him.

BCB’s Attempt to Convince Najmul Fails

BCB’s chairman of cricket operations, Nazmul Abedin (Bulbul), reportedly held an extended discussion with Najmul following the third ODI against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on October 23, urging him to reconsider his stance.

However, Najmul stood firm on his decision.

“He (Najmul) is not interested to lead at the moment and has informed us about his decision,” a senior BCB official told Cricbuzz on condition of anonymity.

Najmul’s exit left the Test captaincy position vacant after the home series against Sri Lanka, and the board has since been searching for a long-term replacement.

Litton, Mehidy Among Candidates for Test Role

With Najmul unavailable, the BCB is now considering Litton Kumar Das, the current T20I captain, as the frontrunner for the Test role. Officials are reportedly waiting for Litton’s consent before finalizing the decision, as Bangladesh prepare for their upcoming two-match Test series against Ireland, starting November 11 in Sylhet.

Current ODI captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who earlier expressed interest in leading the Test side, is unlikely to be considered. Despite winning the ODI series against West Indies, his leadership remains under scrutiny after Bangladesh suffered four consecutive ODI series defeats prior to that. Under Mehidy’s captaincy, Bangladesh have managed only three wins in 13 matches since June 2024.

BCB Rethinking Its Multi-Captain Policy

When Mehidy was appointed ODI captain, the BCB had indicated its preference for having three separate captains for each format. However, that stance appears to be softening.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul recently stated that the board is open to flexibility depending on what’s best for the team.

“There is no hard and fast rule that there must be three captains,” Bulbul said. “It could be one person leading all three formats, or different captains for one or two. It depends on discussions among the board, selectors, and coaching staff.”

Bulbul also confirmed that a series of internal meetings will determine the most suitable candidate for the Test leadership.

Other Contenders

If the BCB decides to maintain separate captains across formats, Taijul Islam and Mominul Haque could emerge as alternative options.

Taijul has publicly expressed his ambition to captain the Test side, while Mominul — who stepped down from the role in 2022 — told Cricbuzz that he would “consider returning” if approached by the board.