Najmul Hossain Shanto named Bangladesh captain in all formats

Najmul Hossain Shanto has been appointed as Bangladesh's captain in all three formats. Shanto has been handed the reins for a year, according to BCB president Nazmul Hassan. The news comes as a surprise at least in the T20I format, in which Shakib Al Hasan was set to lead till the upcoming T20 World Cup in June.

Shanto led impressively in the recent Tests against New Zealand, and also later during a white-ball tour of New Zealand. It is understood that the BCB had considered Shakib for the ODI captaincy, but the board went ahead with Shanto for the role after Shakib informed them of a condition in his eye.

Shakib had announced before the World Cup last year that he would give up the ODI captaincy after the 50-over marquee event. He had also hinted that he was unlikely to continue in Tests but expressed his interest in leading the side during the T20 World Cup. Shakib had built an impressive T20 side in the last 12 months, notably winning against England.

The BCB also announced Gazi Ashraf Hossain as the new chief selector of the senior men's side. Hannan Sarkar, a new selector, was also appointed. It means the end of Minhajul Abedin's time as chief selector after eight years. Habibul Bashar also exits as a selector.