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Najmul Hossain Shanto:Biography

Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto (Bengali: নাজমুল হোসেন শান্ত; born 25 August 1998) is a Bangladeshi cricketer who plays as a middle-order batter and occasional wicket-keeper for the Bangladesh national cricket team in all formats. He made his international debut for Bangladesh in January 2017. He has scored the second-highest individual score for Bangladesh in Test cricket (163).

Early life and family

Najmul was born in Rajshahi, Bangladesh to a cricket-loving family. He has two brothers. He studied in Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan (BKSP), a sports institute, where he received formal training and coaching. He later enrolled in American International University-Bangladesh and completed his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree.

Personal life

Najmul is married to Sabrin Sultana Ratna, an agriculturist, since 2020. He practices Islam and follows Islamic practices. He is also fond of travelling, playing golf and football

Early cricket career

Najmul represented the Bangladesh Under-15s, Under-17s, Under-19s and Under-23s teams in various tournaments. He played in the Under-19 World Cups in 2016 and 2018. He made his first-class debut for Rangpur Division in October 2014. In the 2016–17 National Cricket League, he scored four centuries and finished the season with 816 runs at an average of 62.76, helping Rangpur Division win the championship.

International debut

Najmul made his international debut for Bangladesh in January 2017 against New Zealand in a Test match. He scored 18 runs in his first innings but impressed with his fielding skills. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut in September 2018 against Afghanistan and scored 6 runs. He made his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut in September 2019 against Zimbabwe and scored 14 runs.

ODI career

Najmul has scored over 600 runs and taken more than 10 catches in ODIs. He has scored one century and three half-centuries, with a highest score of 102 against Sri Lanka in May 2021. During the same match, he and Mushfiqur Rahim made a partnership of 242 runs for the third wicket, which is the highest third-wicket partnership for Bangladesh in ODI. He has also been part of the Bangladesh team that reached the final of the Asia Cup in 2018.

T20I career

Najmul has scored over 400 runs and taken more than 15 catches in T20Is. He has scored four half-centuries, with a highest score of 68 against Australia in August 2021. He holds the record for the most runs by a Bangladeshi batsman in a bilateral T20I series, scoring 237 runs against Australia in August 2021. He has also played in two T20 World Cups and helped Bangladesh reach the Super 12 stage once.

Test career

Najmul has scored over 800 runs and taken more than 20 catches in Tests. He has scored two centuries and four half-centuries, with a highest score of 163 against Sri Lanka in April 2021. He has also scored two double-hundreds in first-class cricket, with a highest score of 247 not out for East Zone in the Bangladesh Cricket League in February 2020. He has played in two Test World Championships and helped Bangladesh achieve their first-ever Test win over West Indies in November 2018.

Records and achievements

Najmul holds several records and achievements in international cricket. Some of them are:

  • He is the youngest Bangladeshi player to score a century as a middle-order batter across all formats.
  • He is the only Bangladeshi player to score two centuries as a number three batter across all formats.
  • He is the only Bangladeshi player to score a century on debut as a number three batter in ODIs, achieving it against Sri Lanka in May 2021.
  • He is the only Bangladeshi player to score a century and take five catches in a single Test match, achieving it against Sri Lanka in April 2021.
  • He made the most runs of any Bangladeshi player in a single year (2021) across all formats combined, scoring 1,789 runs.

Awards and honors

Najmul has been honoured with many awards and accolades for his outstanding performances. Some of them are:

  • He has won the Sheikh Kamal National Sports Council Award in the sports personality category in 2022.
  • He has won the BSPA Sportsperson of the Year (2021) and BSPA Cricketer of the Year (Male) (2021) awards in 2022.
  • He has been named in the ICC ODI Team of the Year once (in 2021) and the ICC T20I Team of the Year once (in 2021).

Captaincy stints

Najmul has been appointed as the vice-captain of Bangladesh in all three formats since January 2023. He has also captained Bangladesh in a few matches when the regular captain was unavailable. He led Bangladesh to their first-ever T20I series win over India in February 2023, scoring a match-winning 78 not out in the third and final match. He also captained Bangladesh to their first-ever Test win over South Africa in March 2023, scoring a crucial 74 runs in the second innings.

Controversies

Najmul has been involved in some controversies during his career. Some of them are:

  • In September 2019, he received criticism from some fans and media for his poor performance in the T20 World Cup qualifier against Ireland, where he scored only 5 runs and dropped two catches. He later admitted that he was under pressure and apologised for his mistakes.
  • In October 2020, he was fined and given a demerit point by the ICC for showing dissent at an umpire's decision during a Test match against Zimbabwe. He was also involved in a heated exchange with Zimbabwe's captain Sean Williams after the match.

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