BCB clarifies Najmul Hossain Shanto's ODI captaincy controversy

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has addressed the recent controversy surrounding Najmul Hossain Shanto's removal from the ODI captaincy, terming the uproar as "baseless."

According to BCB cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedin, there was no official ODI captain at the time, as Shanto's tenure had concluded with the 2025 Champions Trophy.

Nazmul came under heavy criticism for appointing Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the new ODI skipper ahead of the Sri Lanka tour, bypassing an extension for Shanto.

Following the announcement, Miraz assured that the sudden change would not cause any issues within the dressing room.

Speculation arose within the cricketing community that Shanto’s resignation from the Test captaincy was a result of feeling disrespected after being overlooked for the ODI leadership, especially when he was reportedly expecting to continue in the role.

However, Nazmul offered a different perspective during an appearance on Saturday Night, a talk show aired on Jamuna TV on July 19.

"We did not have any ODI captain after the Champions Trophy. It is not true that Shanto was removed from his captaincy. In fact, there was no captain," Nazmul was quoted in the show.

"Shanto might have assumed he would lead in the next series since he was the previous captain. There's nothing wrong in thinking that. But the board may have had other plans. Yes, the board could have appointed Shanto again, but that would have required a separate announcement," he added.

He further explained that since there was no incumbent captain at the time, the board didn’t feel it necessary to hold discussions with Shanto before making the decision.

"As we did not have a captain at that time, there was no question of holding discussions with Shanto. A decision was taken in a meeting, and it was communicated to Shanto as he was the previous captain. Yes, there could have been a discussion with him, but it's not true that he was removed from captaincy," he stated.

"The captaincy decision was taken in a meeting, and it was my responsibility to inform both Shanto and Mehidy Hasan Miraz. There were no other terms or conditions involved. That's why I informed Shanto first," he concluded.