Najmul Hossain Shanto

International career

Najmul Hossain Shanto was born on 25 August 1998 in Bangladesh. He is a Bangladeshi cricketer who now leads the men's national cricket team in Test and One Day International (ODI) formats. He was also the former captain of the T20 International team. Shanto has become a key player for Bangladesh with his solid batting and leadership. He has a significant role in the team’s success and continues to perform well across formats.

Shanto began his career in international cricket at a young age, slowly earning his place as one of Bangladesh’s top players. Below is a breakdown of his international career, year by year.

• 2015
  • Shanto was selected for Bangladesh’s squad for the 2016 Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
• 2016
  • November: Shanto was included in a 22-man squad to train in Australia for Bangladesh’s tour to New Zealand.
• 2017
  • January: He joined Bangladesh's Test squad ahead of the second Test against New Zealand.
  • 20 January 2017: Shanto made his Test debut against New Zealand.
• 2018
  • August: Shanto was part of a 31-man preliminary squad for the 2018 Asia Cup.
  • 20 September: He made his ODI debut against Afghanistan.
  • December: Shanto was included in Bangladesh’s team for the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
• 2019
  • Shanto was dropped after the 2018 Asia Cup but returned for the 2019–20 Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series.
  • 18 September: He made his T20I debut against Zimbabwe.
  • November: Shanto was named captain for Bangladesh’s squad in the 2019 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup.
  • November: He also captained the Bangladesh team in the men’s cricket tournament at the 2019 South Asian Games. Bangladesh won the gold medal after defeating Sri Lanka.
• 2021
  • April: Shanto scored his first Test century, making 163 runs in the first innings against Sri Lanka.
  • July: He scored his second Test century, reaching 100 runs against Zimbabwe in Harare.
• 2022
  • September: Shanto was part of Bangladesh’s squad for the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
  • 30 October: He scored his first T20I half-century, contributing 71 runs in a match against Zimbabwe.
  • Shanto was the highest run-scorer for Bangladesh in the 2022 T20 World Cup, with 180 runs, including another fifty against Pakistan.
• 2023
  • March: Shanto was named in Bangladesh’s T20I and ODI squads for matches against England.
  • 1 March: He scored 51 runs in the second ODI against England, marking his first ODI half-century.
  • In the first T20I, Shanto helped Bangladesh win by scoring 51 runs, leading them to their first-ever T20I victory against England.
  • June: Shanto scored 146 and 124 runs in a one-off Test against Afghanistan. He became the second Bangladeshi player to score two centuries in a single Test.
  • December: He scored his fifth Test century against New Zealand, leading Bangladesh to a 150-run victory in the first Test of a 3-match series.
• 2024
  • May: Shanto was appointed as the captain for Bangladesh’s squad for the 2024 ICC Men’s World Cup.
  • February: He was made captain for all formats by the selection committee.
  • March: Shanto scored 122 runs against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of a 3-match series. This score set a new record for the highest score by a Bangladeshi captain in ODIs.
  • Under his captaincy, Bangladesh won the ODI series against Sri Lanka but lost in the T20I and Test formats during the same series.

Leagues Participation

Najmul Hossain Shanto has played in several leagues, including the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). These leagues have added to his cricket career and given him many opportunities to play.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

Shanto has not played in the IPL. He spoke about the differences between the IPL and international cricket. In May 2024, he said that high scores in the IPL are hard to repeat in international tournaments like the T20 World Cup. He also explained that matches in the IPL focus more on entertainment, while international cricket is about getting results.

Shanto has not taken part in the IPL because he focuses more on international cricket.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)

Shanto has played in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) for several years. He first played for Comilla Victorians in the 2016–17 season. Later, he joined Khulna Titans and Khulna Tigers. In the 2022–23 season, Shanto was the top scorer in the tournament with 516 runs. His great performance earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

Year	Team	Comments
2016–17	Comilla Victorians	Debuted in BPL
2018–19	Khulna Titans	Joined after draft
2019–20	Khulna Tigers	Played for Khulna Tigers
2022–23	Sylhet Strikers	Top scorer, Player of the Tournament
2024	Fortune Barishal	Played early but was excluded after five matches

In the 2024 season, Shanto played five matches for Fortune Barishal. However, after his performance in those games, he was left out of the squad and did not play in the final matches of the tournament. Despite this, he still contributed to the team early on.

Domestic career

Najmul Hossain Shanto started playing cricket when he was very young. His double century at the school level caught attention and helped him get selected for the 2014 Youth World Cup at just 15. Soon after, he scored his first domestic century while playing for Rajshahi Division.

In December 2017, he and Mizanur Rahman set a record for the highest opening partnership in a domestic first-class match in Bangladesh, scoring 341 runs.

Shanto was the top run-scorer in the 2017–18 Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League, with 749 runs in 16 matches.

In December 2020, he scored a century for Rajshahi Minister Group against Fortune Barishal in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup.

Records and achievements

Najmul Hossain Shanto has earned several honors and set records throughout his career. Here are his key achievements:

• 2022: Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council Award for Sports Personality.
• 2022: BSPA Sportsperson of the Year and BSPA Cricketer of the Year (Male) for 2021.
• 2021: Named to the ICC ODI Team of the Year and ICC T20I Team of the Year.
• 2022–2023: Player of the Tournament in the Bangladesh Premier League with 516 runs, including four fifties.

International Stats:

• Test Matches: 33 matches, 1,766 runs, average score: 163.
• ODIs: 47 matches, 1,488 runs, average score: 122.
• T20Is: 49 matches, 960 runs, average score: 71.

June 2023: In a match against Afghanistan, Shanto scored two centuries. He became the second Bangladeshi to do this, with scores of 146 and 124.

Personal life

Najmul Hossain Shanto grew up in Ranhat, Rajshahi. He began playing cricket at a young age and trained at Clemon Rajshahi Cricket Academy. He traveled nearly 20 kilometers daily by cycling and walking to attend training. In 2020, during the COVID-19 lockdown, Shanto married Sabrin Sultana Ratna. The couple had a baby boy in August 2023.

Finance

Shanto’s net worth is $5 million. His hard work in cricket, from domestic leagues to becoming the captain of the Bangladesh national team, helped him build his wealth.

Family

Shanto leads a private life outside of cricket. He is married to Sabrin Sultana Ratna, and they share a strong and supportive relationship. Shanto’s family has played a key role in his career, offering the encouragement he needed. Despite his success, he remains humble, which has helped him gain respect from fans around the world. Shanto’s parents come from a middle-class background and keep their personal life private.

Cars and House

No public information is available about Shanto’s cars or house.

Scandals

In October 2024, after Bangladesh’s loss to India, Shanto criticized the team for not following their batting and bowling plans. In June 2024, during the T20 World Cup match against South Africa, Shanto expressed his frustration with a referee’s decision, which was caught on camera.

Fans

Shanto apologized to fans after Bangladesh’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2024. He took responsibility for the team’s early exit. His Instagram account has about 10k followers, though it is not verified, and it is uncertain if this account is official.