Najmul Hossain Shanto during the recent Test series against Sri Lanka ©Getty
Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh’s most successful Test skipper stepped down as captain following the 1-0 series defeat to Sri Lanka on Saturday (June 28). It led to the question on whether Bangladesh cricket is able to provide a suitable platform for a captain to flourish and develop as a leader.
If statistics are taken into account, Shanto is surely the most successful skipper with the winning percentage of 28.57 (14 Tests – four wins, one draw and nine losses) ahead of Shakib al Hasan 21.05 (19 Tests – four wins and 15 losses) and Mushfiqur Rahim 20.58 (34 Tests – seven win, nine draw and 18 losses) and he was looking all set create his own niche as a leader before it all came down to an end, abruptly.
Though Shanto insisted that he had not decided to step down after the Sri Lanka series, his ODI captaincy being taken away just before the Sri Lanka Test series in what was seen to be in an unprofessional manner. The left-hander was informed just minutes before he was about to sit with national head coach Phil Simmons, with a clear lack of communication between the players and the board visible.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) cricket operation chairman Nazmul Abedin could not shy away from taking the blame. He was the one who had messed up the situation by not protecting his captain during the zoom meeting, that took place, where it was decided to appoint Mehidy Hasan Miraz as ODI captain.
Former national captain Khaled Mashud, who also worked with Shanto during his childhood days in Rajshahi, felt the process of Shanto’s removal remains questionable.
“Yes, you can always question the process through which Shanto is removed from ODI captaincy and it could have been handled in a better way,” Mashud said.
“This kind of action can always have an impact on the mind of the cricketers as the next captain might not have the courage to take decisions, by feeling insecure [after] seeing what happed with Shanto,” he said. “I think the captain deserves some respect and we failed to provide that somehow.”
Mashud feared that cricketers may refrain from showing interest in leadership roles, amidst politics inside the board room.
“What if tomorrow our cricketers with sound mind and knowledge decide that they don’t want to take up the burden of leading the side seeing all the politics around? In that case we cannot blame them either as we failed to provide the captain both security and respect,” he said.
This kind of change is not new to Bangladesh cricket. Current BCB president Aminul Islam was subject to intense scrutiny in his playing days despite the fact that he was expected to lead Bangladesh in their inaugural Test match against India in 2000.
Aminul, who was Bangladesh’s first-ever World Cup captain by leading the side in the 1999 World Cup, was expected to lead the side during their maiden Test against India. But it was Naimur Rahman who was appointed captain for the Test.
In fact, attempts to replace him had begun during the World Cup itself. Before the historic match against Pakistan, then BCB President Saber Hossain Chowdhury reportedly called up Khaled Mahmud, asking him to lead the side in place of Aminul. Board officials apparently saw no reason to include the regular captain in the playing XI for that match. But Mahmud declined. He argued that making such a decision right before the final game could have disastrous consequences – a point that ultimately convinced the board to stick with Aminul for the match.
Later that year, in November, as excitement for Bangladesh’s historic debut Test match started to sweep the country, the BCB had already executed a long-planned ‘coup.’ Aminul was removed and Naimur was named the new Test captain.
At a press conference at the then-Hotel Sheraton, the newly appointed captain Naimur faced a barrage of sharp and pointed questions about the controversial leadership change.
Aminul was, of course, included in the Test squad. But several board officials were strongly against having him in the playing XI. Credit goes to Naimur, who firmly stated, “We have to play Bulbul bhai (Aminul).” Aminul played – and the rest is history as he became Bangladesh’s first Test centurion.
Since then several captains have led Bangladesh across formats, and in most cases have had a very disappointing exit from the role.
Najmul can surely claim that he left Test captaincy with his head held high as the cricketing structure of the country hardly encourages a system that can help a captain grow as a leader, a trait that was quite evident during his stay in the hot seat.
© Cricbuzz
