Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Controversial DRS Reversal: 5 Key Takeaways Sparking Outrage

Najmul Hossain Shanto

Najmul Hossain Shanto is not one to frequently show his emotions, whether on or off the field. However, an exception occurred on Sunday, June 10, during Bangladesh’s crucial T20 World Cup 2024 match against South Africa in New York, following a contentious decision by one of the on-field umpires.

The incident unfolded in the 17th over of Bangladesh’s innings, with Ottneil Baartman bowling. Despite chasing a modest target of 114, Bangladesh was under pressure, playing several dot balls. In the midst of this, Australian umpire Sam Nogajski signaled out when Baartman’s delivery struck Mahmudullah’s pads. The ball then sped to the boundary, seemingly giving Bangladesh four runs. However, those runs were not added to the total due to the LBW decision, even though it appeared to the naked eye that the ball might have missed the stumps.

Subsequent replays confirmed that the ball would indeed have missed the stumps. Despite this, the four leg byes were not counted as the ball was deemed dead following the LBW decision. This sequence of events led to frustration in the dugout, especially for Shanto, who had been dismissed earlier for a low score.

Najmul Hossain Shanto‘s Profile

Nazmul Hossain, a stylish left-handed batsman renowned for his high back-lift, has been representing Rajshahi in domestic cricket since November 2014. His cricketing journey began with a bang when, at a tender age, he smashed a double-century in a school-level one-day match, thrusting him into the limelight. His talent was quickly recognized, earning him a spot in the Under-19 World Cup squad for Bangladesh in 2014 when he was just 15 years old.

In the 2015 season, Nazmul showcased his potential by notching up his maiden first-class century while playing for Rajshahi Division. However, it was in 2016 that his career truly started to flourish. Representing his nation in the Under-19 World Cup on home soil, he made headlines with consecutive man-of-the-match performances against South Africa and Scotland, amassing a total of 259 runs and aiding his team to a third-place finish in the tournament.

The same year saw Nazmul making his mark in the Bangladesh Premier League, where he was signed by the defending champions, Comilla Victorians. He wasted no time in proving his worth, scoring a fifty in his debut match against formidable opponents like Tymal Mills, Taskin Ahmed, and Mohammad Nabi.

In November 2016, his talent earned him a place in the national team’s preparatory camp in Sydney ahead of their tour to New Zealand. His opportunity came sooner than expected when he was called up to the Test squad as a replacement for the injured Mominul Haque before the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch. Despite modest scores of 18 and 12 in his debut match, Nazmul’s potential was evident. However, he was omitted from the squad for the subsequent one-off Test against India in Hyderabad.

Najmul Hossain is a classic left-handed batsman who started playing cricket at a very young age. A double-ton to his name at the school level grabbed enough eyeballs and immediately led to his consideration for the 2014 Youth World Cup when he was just 15 years old. Soon after that, Najmul struck his maiden domestic century while representing the Rajshahi Division.

Things turned pretty for the southpaw when he was asked to play another U-19 World Cup in 2016. In the tournament, he received two back-to-back Man of the Match awards against South Africa and Scotland respectively. Hossain emerged as one of the standout performers of the tournament, amassing 259 runs, and also helped his team reach the third position. Hossain’s form continued in the Bangladesh T20 League as well and he went ahead to score a brilliant fifty on his debut representing the Comilla Victorians team.

Brilliant performances at the U-19 level followed by some fine domestic and Bangladesh T20 League stints were enough to impress the selectors and with immediate effect, he was named in Bangladesh’s preliminary camp held in Sydney before the tour of New Zealand. Hossain was handed his Test cap in the second Test match against the Kiwis as a replacement of the injured Mominul Haque. Najmul had a mediocre debut as he managed to score a mere 18 and 12 with the bat and eventually he was dropped from the squad.

In the following years, Najmul was handed few international opportunities but failed to make proper use of it and thus was sent back to the domestic circuit to enhance his skills and work on his consistency. In September 2019, after Bangladesh sustained a humiliating loss at the hands of Afghanistan during a tri-nation T20I series, Najmul was called-up for the remainder of the series.  

Read this also –

2024 Lok Sabha Elections: Samajwadi Party’s Dominance in UP and BJP’s Struggle Explained