Focused Shanto regains form despite instability all around him

Bangladesh walking off with big smiles on their faces at the end of the Galle Test said a lot about what they made of their draw against Sri Lanka. Coming on the back of two international wins so far this year, this was a worthy effort.

Bangladesh's captain Najmul Hossain Shanto scoring twin centuries, with both knocks guiding the team from a tough spot to one of comfort, was their biggest gain. Shanto averaged 29.14 in Tests the year leading into this series and made some technical adjustments to overturn his lean patch.

"I am very happy (with my hundreds)," he said. "The preparation was good. I did some technical things in my batting, before coming on this tour. I know the conditions and opponents' threat as well. I had a plan. I still have one match left so I don't want to reveal too much. I was clear what I wanted to do, so I am really happy. There will always be criticism and discussion but the main thing is how I can contribute to the team.

"Whether my work ethic and intention is right or not, it is pleasing that I tried to contribute to the best of my ability. I look to improve myself every day, rather than focusing on what anyone is saying. It is more important whether I am enjoying my cricket, or whether I am able to contribute to the team. I have no expectations of what people are saying about me."

Was any of that pointed? Shanto was sacked as Bangladesh's ODI captain mere hours before departing for Sri Lanka. He had led the side in just 13 matches. It seemed like he expected to continue. Earlier this month he spent a press conference talking about the advantages of having a long-term captain for both Tests and ODIs.

The BCB must have felt differently because, not long after that, they announced Mehidy Hasan Miraz as the new 50-over captain.

The board's cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, reportedly, sacked Shanto after a Zoom meeting with the rest of the BCB directors. It is, however, unclear whether the decision was taken before or after that fateful press conference. Regardless, the BCB should have handled the captaincy handover better.

Shanto's 273 runs is now the highest aggregate for a Bangladesh captain in a Test match. The key ingredients that made it all possible were his confidence in defending the ball and always being on the lookout for singles. Shanto also made sure he was hitting well straight down the ground before launching into his horizontal-bat shots. Even so he got into a little trouble. He was dropped on 66 and 90 on the reverse and conventional sweep in Bangladesh's second innings.

The overall unstable climate in Bangladesh cricket makes the captain's job harder. Changing board presidents means a change of the political dynamic. The Bangladesh team's captaincy, and its general affairs, is deeply connected with the way the winds blow in the BCB offices and currently, there is little clarity about the direction they want to take the team. The next board elections are coming up later this year which means that there is no scope for long-term planning. A lot of decisions made now can change depending on who becomes the next BCB president. Those on the inside know this very well.

The situation has left key positions in the Bangladesh team with not enough job security, as Shanto found out last week. He hasn't hit back at the BCB for their decision to remove him from the ODI captaincy. He hasn't made any noise before the Galle Test, nor did he display any anger with his century celebrations. He just proved that he could focus on just the cricket in front of him, despite the storm brewing around him.