Najmul Hossain Shanto has been a great stand-in skipper for Bangladesh in the absence of Shakib Al Hasan. He has been great during the ongoing Bangladesh tour of New Zealand. Under his leadership, Bangladesh got the first-ever ODI and T20I victory against New Zealand away from home. They also won the Test back at home at Sylhet against the Kiwis. Bangladesh Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that Najmul Hossain Shanto has shown all evidence to be the next full-time skipper of the Bangladesh national cricket team.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is likely to look for a long-term captaincy option as the availability of Shakib Al Hasan is questionable and Najmul Hossain Shanto could be the first choice for the role of Bangladesh’s skipper.
“I think they (BCB) will strongly think about that (long-term captaincy). Of course, it’s a board decision and Shanto has shown enough evidence for them to take him seriously,” Hathurusingha said after the last T20I at Mount Maunganui on Sunday.
According to Chandika Hathurusingha, Najmul Hossain Shanto maintains a positive attitude amongst the players and a positive environment in the dressing room. He communicates clearly with the players and he has been a great leader for all of the players in the squad.
“I think the attitude of the players… this young group had no fear and wanted to compete in the middle. The other thing I thought – the leadership of Shanto was outstanding. He was tactically spot on and very clear with the messages to the players and what he expects from them,” he added.
“I think the environment in the dressing room is much better because the communication is very clear, as I said, from Shanto. And they know they are good enough players to compete and I think that’s why there is no fear in the players’ mind,” he added.
Najmul Hossain Shanto Can Take Bangladesh To New Heights
Bangladesh Cricket Board needs to look for a long-term permanent captain as the days for Shakib Al Hasan are numbered and Najmul Hossain Shanto can be the first-choice option for BCB to lead the side. He has led the Bangladesh side in some of the ODI World Cup matches where Shakib Al Hasan was not available. He also led them to their first win against New Zealand away from home.
Bangladesh did not have an auspicious ODI World Cup as they finished eighth with just two wins in nine games. They were defeated by the likes of the Netherlands and could only manage to win against teams like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. They were defeated by New Zealand in the ODI series by 2-1 whereas the T20I series was drawn 1-1 after the second T20I was washed out in rain.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha believes that Najmul Hossain Shanto is an able leader and can lead Bangladesh to new heights in World Cricket. The Bangladesh Team is trying to be a cricketing superpower for a long time and Najmul Hossain Shanto can lead them in their quest.
