T20 World Cup: Get to know the captains via interesting facts

The ninth edition of the ICC men's T20 World Cup kicks off on June 2 [Bangladesh time], with Canada facing one of the hosts the USA in Dallas. As the cricketing world gears up for another thrilling event, let's delve into some interesting facts about the captains of the 20 participants -- this time, focusing on Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto.

NAJMUL HOSSAIN SHANTO

Najmul Hossain Shanto is set to take his biggest test as the Bangladesh captain so far when he leads the team in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024.

Shanto has played in the biggest T20 competition in international cricket once before in 2022, where he hit a couple of half-centuries in five outings, first a match-winning 71 off 55 balls against Zimbabwe and then a 48-ball 54 against Pakistan in a losing cause.

Even though the left-hander is the designated anchor in the Bangladesh top-order, his career strike rate of 109.64 is not up to par in T20Is.

His form coming into the tournament has been iffy, as he has made just 189 run in 10 innings in T20Is this year at a strike rate of 102.64.

The team's recent string of poor results has piled on more pressure on the captain. Now it will be interesting to see whether Shanto sinks or thrives under this pressure in the T20 World Cup.

Najmul Hossain Shanto in T20Is
Matches: 39
Innings: 37
Runs: 796
Best score: 71 (55) against Zimbabwe, 2022 T20 World Cup
Average: 24.87
Strike-rate: 109.64
50s: 4

Najmul Hossain Shanto in T20 World Cups
Matches: 5
Innings: 5
Runs: 180
Best score: 71 (55) against Zimbabwe, 2022 T20 World Cup
Average: 36.00
Strike-rate: 114.64
50s: 2