How BCB convinced Najmul Hossain Shanto to stay on as Test captain

What made Najmul Hossain Shanto change his mind and continue as Bangladesh's Test captain?

That question has been circulating within cricket circles for a while now, especially after he refused to take back the captaincy when BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin urged him to reconsider following the ODI series against West Indies at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium. The two were seen in a long conversation that reportedly lasted over forty minutes.

Shanto had his reservations when Nazmul approached him. He feared that accepting the role again could make him appear opportunistic in the public eye, particularly since he's aware he isn't the media's favourite, largely due to his blunt and unapologetic personality.

Statistically, Shanto has been Bangladesh's most successful Test captain with a win percentage of 28.57 (four wins, one draw and nine losses from 14 Tests) - ahead of Shakib Al Hasan's 21.05 (four wins, 15 losses from 19 Tests) and Mushfiqur Rahim's 20.58 (seven wins, nine draws and 18 losses from 34 Tests). He seemed well on his way to building a strong leadership legacy before stepping down abruptly on June 28, following the home series against Sri Lanka.

On October 28, BCB president Aminul Islam held an impromptu meeting with Faruque Ahmed, Abdur Razzak and Khaled Mashud (who joined via Zoom) to discuss the Test captaincy issue on the sidelines of a BPL meeting at the Westin Hotel. The session was also attended by Nazmul Abedin.

During the meeting, Nazmul mentioned that Shanto had already declined his request to reconsider and that time was running out, with the two-match Test series against Ireland beginning in Sylhet on November 11.

BCB insiders revealed that Faruque, who earlier managed to convince Shanto to continue as captain when he was leading the board, asked for 24 hours to try and change Shanto's mind once again. At the time, Shanto had felt he wasn't receiving enough backing from the board and had been unwilling to lead after the South Africa series.

According to sources, several members of the shadow committee reached out to Shanto, but it was Faruque's call that ultimately proved decisive.

"Faruque bhai showed him (Shanto) the bigger picture," a BCB official closely involved with the development confirmed to Cricbuzz.

"Najmul was quite reluctant initially but could not stick to his ground when Faruque bhai assured him that he should stop looking at the past and instead look forward and can take him as an example as he was nowhere even few months back but now holds a position in the BCB as he wants to work for cricket, leaving behind all the bitter experience that he went through earlier this year (when his ousted from the post of BCB president)," he said.

"It (looking at how Faruque made a return to BCB) probably made him change his mind and take back the captaincy," he added.

The change in the BCB presidency came after eight of the nine BCB directors nominated by the NSC submitted a no-confidence motion against Faruque. However, he made a comeback in the subsequent BCB election and now serves as one of the board's vice-presidents.

Shanto, meanwhile, hadn't faced any pushback from teammates when he decided to step down earlier. He was reportedly hurt by how he was removed from ODI captaincy just before the Sri Lanka tour, with the role handed to Mehidy Hasan.

Notably, Faruque wasn't part of the board at the time. Some within the board had tried to suggest that Aminul Islam alone was responsible for the decision, but Aminul denied that claim.

"I don't have the right to remove a captain and it was a combined decision taken by the board and I was in Australia when the meeting took place but still feel that what happened with Shanto was not ideal as it could have been handled in a better way," Aminul said when asked about his involvement in Shanto's removal as ODI captain.

Many within the BCB believe Nazmul Abedin could have opposed the move to strip Shanto of the ODI captaincy, but chose not to - a decision that has since raised questions about the board's ability to provide the right environment for leadership growth.

Bangladesh's most successful Test skipper had stepped down after the 1-0 home defeat to Sri Lanka in June. Many felt his resignation was triggered by the way his ODI captaincy was taken away in an unprofessional manner, minutes before he was scheduled to meet head coach Phil Simmons to discuss squad plans.

Aminul appears to have taken lessons from that episode. He has since formed a "shadow committee" aimed at improving accountability within BCB operations - ensuring he isn't blamed again for operational missteps.

Though the committee is unlikely to operate publicly, it seems to have begun its work on a positive note. Going forward, it's expected to keep the cricket operations department more accountable - something that could ultimately strengthen the board's decision-making and leadership structure.