Recovery on course

"You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become a villain" is an iconic dialogue from The Dark Knight, a popular film from the Batman series. In essence, it resonates enormously with what veteran Mahmudullah Riyad has become for Bangladesh cricket in the 20-over format.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding his inclusion, the 38-year-old was named in the 15-member squad announced for the upcoming three-match T20I series against India, starting in Gwalior on October 6.

Mahmudullah's fate looked to be sealed after Bangladesh lost their last Super Eights match of the 2024 T20 World Cup against Afghanistan -- a contest in which Najmul Hossain Shanto's side had the chance of making it to the semifinals of the tournament for the very first time.

As one of the chief architects of the catastrophic approach that led to the defeat, the 38-year-old veteran had dished out a detrimental knock that was a far cry from reflecting the mentality of a side chasing greater and unprecedented success.

With Mahmudullah having managed just 95 runs in seven matches with a disappointing strike rate of 94.05 in that edition, it appeared the demanding format seemed to have outpaced the most experienced Bangladesh player in T20Is, with the second-highest runs in the format.

Chief selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, however, put an end to speculations about Mahmudullah's spot, saying that he considered the experience factor when selecting the veteran batter, but it seemed to have contradicted his vision regarding the composition of the Tigers' T20 side in the 2026 T20 World Cup.

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Lipu said that the squad was a reflection of their plans for the mega event, centring around youth and exuberance, and pointed out that players would get a couple of editions of the Bangladesh Premier League, and as many T20 editions of the National Cricket League, in addition to about 21 T20Is in the build-up to the major event.

If that is indeed the case, then why not back someone younger instead of Mahmudullah, who will turn 40 by 2026? It is baffling to see the selectors carrying the right-handed batter who has played in all but one edition of the T20 World Cup but has very little to show for it on the biggest stage -- in 37 T20 World Cup matches, Mahmudullah mustered 458 runs, averaging 17.62 with a strike rate of 106.76.

The big debate about "finding a replacement" for Mahmudullah often follows. The popular argument amongst fans and experts is often that there is no replacement for a senior player in the side, such as Mahmudullah, and other players would have to fill in and strive to do what the veteran has been doing. However, the fundamental flaw in this reasoning is the focus on finding a replacement, rather than seeking someone better.

Since January 2021, Mahmudullah has batted at a strike rate of 115.88 in 20 matches in positions 6-8. When batting in the same positions in T20 World Cups, it comes down to 114.78, and in both cases, the average flirts around roughly 23. It is quite a puzzle to decipher the selectors' thoughts for the future when they've found their faith in such numbers produced by a player nearing the dusk of his career. When will they get past the hangover of the six Mahmudullah flicked in the Nidahas Trophy in 2018?

And as for the Batman analogy, the question with Mahmudullah at this point is what comes after one lingers long enough to become a villain, as he had arguably become one following Bangladesh's T20 World Cup exit in June.

Shakib Al Hasan, meanwhile, announced his plan for retirement from T20Is on Friday, underlining the need for new faces to come through, keeping in mind the T20 World Cup two years from now.

Now, it sets a premise for Mahmudullah to perhaps follow in Shakib's footsteps, thinking about the greater good of the team; or he could maintain the status quo and keep hold of a vital spot by virtue of being one of the "Fab Five".

Shakib Al Hasan, a name that has been synonymous with the Bangladesh cricket team in all three formats for almost 18 years, called time on his T20I career yesterday at a press conference in Kanpur ahead of today's second and final Test against hosts India, pulling down the curtain on an illustrious international career in the shortest format.

"I am not hurt or disappointed. I think it is the right time to move on and create a place for the new players," Shakib told the media yesterday.

This announcement ended Shakib's journey in T20Is, which began with Bangladesh's first-ever match in the format on November 28, 2006, at the Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium in Khulna against Zimbabwe.

His 129th and final match for the Tigers in the shortest format was their Super Eights match of the ICC T20 World Cup against Afghanistan in Kingstown on June 24 earlier this year, which they lost by eight runs.

His T20I career, easily the greatest among all Bangladeshi cricketers, ended in a whimper considering the last thing he did in the format was to give a simple return catch to Naveen-ul-Haq to depart for a first-ball duck.

But that does not take away anything from his incredible career, one that certainly puts him in contention of being called the greatest all-rounder in T20Is till now.

Now, the debate on who is the greatest all-rounder of all time in cricket has been raging on for decades, with many candidates for the top-most spot but none being the clear-cut choice.

The evolution of the game from its primitive days to the modern era, the changes in laws and playing conditions, and the introduction of a brand new format in the 2000s have only added to the complexities of the debate with no clear consensus on who is the best ever.

But instead of trying to find the greatest all-rounder in all of cricket, if one goes format by format, he/she would be hard-pressed to find an all-rounder with a better career in T20Is than Shakib.

Shakib's T20I career spanned 17 years and 209 days, longer than any other player in the world.

The 37-year-old is both Bangladesh's highest run-getter and wicket-taker in the format and was either the top-ranked all-rounder or at least thereabouts for the majority of this period.

Shakib also has five player-of-the-series awards, the joint second-highest in the world. With 2551 runs, he ranks 13th in the list of highest run-getters in the format and the only all-rounder who is ahead of him is Australia's Glenn Maxwell at 10th with 2600 runs.

He is also third in the wicket-taker's list with 149 wickets, whereas Maxwell has only 43 to his name.

Shakib's detractors, over the years, have pointed to the lack of quality opponents he has faced. But the pressure Shakib had to endure to carry a team devoid of stars in the shortest format should not be forgotten.

Through his performances in T20Is, Shakib made his way into T20 leagues across the world and was the first to show that a player from Bangladesh can become a highly sought-after commodity in world cricket. More than anything, that will be the lasting legacy of Shakib's T20I career.

With schools only half closed, an expectant crowd at Kanpur's Green Park Stadium had rallied around to make it appear a brilliant occasion on the opening day of the second Test between Bangladesh and hosts India yesterday.

Bad weather, however, played spoilsport for the most part. The anticipation was huge in the morning despite overnight rain making for a delayed start. The crowd would have loved seeing India bat.

"I want to see [Jasprit] Bumrah in action, but I want India to bat first," a student named Mayank, who was perhaps taking advantage of school being closed till 12 pm to allow students to watch the game, told The Daily Star in the morning.

But Rohit Sharma opted to bowl. That was not disappointing at the beginning for the home fans as Bumrah, in particular, made his presence felt.

Openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam did not carry on for long as Bangladesh were in a spot of bother on 29 for two following Akash Deep's double blow. It was skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto who would take confident strides to put some pressure on India.

When rain came in, leading to early Lunch, the Tigers had reasons to be content at 74 for two.

Shanto was looking so good, following a team-high 82 in the preceding innings in Chennai. It was thus disappointing when a Ravichandran Ashwin delivery trapped him in front after a 51-run stand with Mominul Haque. The latter was deliberate in his ploys, often chancing shots when width was given. A confident off-drive saw him take the Tigers past 100.

Mushfiqur Rahim, meanwhile, was settling in as well, but then rain had the last laugh -- this time so unyielding that not only was the rest of the day's play wiped out, but even the customary post-day press conference of the two teams was cancelled simply because the teams could not come into the press box through the waterlogged ground.

People left the arena early, shrugging perhaps at what could have been a brilliant day of cricket had the conditions not intervened.

There was heavy rain in the evening around the stadium again yesterday. Much now depends on how fast the ground recovers for the second day's play today, which is another opportunity for the huge crowd that came in to catch Test action here after a three-year gap.

Peter Butler, Bangladesh women's football team's head coach, emerged a different man from what he was three days earlier following a frustrating 1-1 draw in the first match of SAFF Women's Championship against Pakistan in Kathmandu.

The former West Ham midfielder was firing on all cylinders after that Pakistan result, taking a swipe at whoever questioned his team selection or pointed to the listless performance of the players.

Following criticism from his own players, the 58-year-old coach had dared his team to show their worth, and disclosed to media that he might play more senior players to fulfil the team's wish.

He did just that, replacing young Kohati Kisku and Sapna Rani with experienced Masura Parvin and Maria Manda. And that seemed to have made a massive difference as Bangladesh roared to a 3-1 win against five-time champions India last night.

Butler praised his players including those he had not regarded in the starting eleven for the first match. He admitted that those decisions paid off as both Masura and Maria played important roles in their specific positions.

"I'm delighted, really really delighted. I thought we played against a strong, direct team. I thought we outplayed them for long long periods," Butler said at the post-match press conference.

"I'm really proud of the players who came in, such as Masura (Parvin), Maria (Manda) and Sabina (Khatun). I thought they did extremely well," Butler said, adding that players like Masura and Maria, when at top of their game, help the team perform to their full potential.

Contrary to his first-day countenance, the Englishman was much calmer and more self-reflective during yesterday's press conference. However, he didn't let the opportunity pass without having a sly dig at, perhaps Monika Chakma, who had accused the coach of driving a wedge between senior and junior players.

"Sometimes less said, less mended. Best (is) sometimes keeping your mouth shut, saying nothing and things will calm down," Butler said, before going on to add: "All credit to the girls tonight. I'm just a coach, I'm just a humble coach who picks the team and puts on the training session and picks the theme of training."

The Bangladesh coach hinted that he tried to instill unity in the team following the criticism and the fallout from what Monika had said.

"The message to the players tonight was to go out express yourselves. Let's play attacking football, play for your family, play for your shirt, but most important thing is, stick together as a unit. I think they did just that."