My dismissal ruined everything, the full blame is mine,” said Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto after the heartbreaking loss to Zimbabwe.
The man many might’ve pointed fingers at stood tall—hands up, fully owning his mistake. Shanto didn’t hesitate to accept responsibility for Bangladesh’s defeat, admitting that his early dismissal crushed the team’s batting rhythm and hopes of winning.
He had started the fourth day of the Sylhet Test unbeaten on 60, with the team relying heavily on him to push towards a defendable target. But on just the second ball of the day, he threw it all away with a poor shot—caught at fine leg off a short ball from Blessing Muzarabani that didn’t demand such a reckless pull.
Soon after, Mehidy Hasan Miraz followed him back to the pavilion. That double blow—both captain and vice-captain gone in quick succession—rattled Bangladesh, and they never recovered.
After the match, Shanto reflected on how it all fell apart right at the start of the day—and how he was at the heart of it.
“I feel like everything ended in the first five overs. My dismissal ruined the game, ruined our batting. I think once they got that momentum, we lost the match,” he admitted.
Normally, Shanto handles the pull shot well. But at the start of the day, a batter needs time to adjust to the lighting, the bounce, and the pace of the pitch. Playing high-risk shots like the pull or hook early on can backfire badly—as it did this time.
Looking back, Shanto knew he made a misjudgment trying that shot so early.
“I’m always thinking about runs. When I see a scoring opportunity, that’s where my mind goes. But I think I could’ve taken more time. It was just the second ball of the day—I could’ve waited a bit longer,” he reflected.
“I play the pull shot regularly, yes. But given the match situation, I think I could’ve left that one alone,” he added.
Even with just 174 to defend, Bangladesh’s bowlers fought hard—taking seven Zimbabwe wickets and keeping the game tense. But in the end, it wasn’t enough.
Shanto believes things could’ve been very different if he and Zakir Ali had managed to build even a fifty-run partnership.
“If you ask me about today’s match personally—honestly, I lost the match alone. That’s the truth. Because I feel my dismissal in the morning ruined everything. If we had built a 50–60 run stand there, and posted even 220–230, we’d have been in a much better position.”
“I’m not going to blame anyone else in this match. I want to take full responsibility—because I got out at a very crucial time,” he said.
