Mahmudullah’s absence setting the tone for younger leaders

As players of both the red-ball and white-ball formats attended the first official camp for the Afghanistan series, Mahmudullah Riyad was conspicuously absent. The likes of Liton Das, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy were in attendance and if the above picture is suggestive, they are the ones leading a younger batch for the upcoming quests, with the World Cup being the most important.

The team management had drawn up a preliminary squad of up to 26 players, but Mahmudullah had already sought time off to perform Hajj. Team manager Nafees Iqbal informed reporters of Mahmudullah not being in the camp yesterday. "No, otherwise you would have seen him," Nafees told reporters when asked if Mahmudullah was in attendance.

Mahmudullah had applied for a vacation from June 22nd till July 5, cricket operations chairman Jalal Yunus told the media yesterday. "He will join the camp after Hajj," Jalal informed. Given the circumstances, that possibility remains unlikely.

Afghanistan will arrive for the second phase of their two-part tour on July 1 to play the ODI and T20 series. Since the ODI series begins on July 5, Mahmudullah will miss the preparation camp for the only format in which he remains available, namely the 50-over format. Thus, even before the squad announcement, the veteran looks to be out of the upcoming ODI series against Afghanistan.

The cricketer may have already been informed of his chances beforehand. "He had applied for vacation beforehand since he will perform Hajj. As you know, you have to take Hajj preparations early. There is no chance of him not knowing that the series is coming since the schedule had been drawn some time ago. His application has been granted," a source close to the team management told The Daily Star yesterday.

Although team management sources often talk up the 'experience' working in Mahmudullah's favour, dropping him for the last few series has already set a tone. The likes of Hridoy have answered to team's call for a more attack-minded approach. Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali and Mosaddek Hossain are also in the team management's plans while Mushfiqur Rahim has been a revelation at number six, a position he has played at earlier in his career.

At 37, Mahmudullah's own recent knocks have lacked the instinct he showed in his prime. Dropped after the England series despite some vital knocks against India and England, the emphasis the team management has put on the required approach in ODIs has overcome the need for the experience factor. His contribution in terms of fielding and his usage as a bowler has also come under the scanner and did not hold him in good stead.

Given that the camp has started on an official basis, barring any unforeseen events in team selection, which is still somewhat regular in Bangladesh cricket, the curtain appears to have been drawn on Mahmudullah's international career.

When the Test team will be announced, the team will begin practising separately for white-ball and red-ball formats. The training session is currently being overseen by Nic Pothas at Mirpur until head coach Chandika Hathurusingha's arrival on June 3.

Bangladesh have been looking to play to a different gear in all the formats and the younger troupes are forming a big part of the core of the side. With Chandika at the helm, more responsibility on young guns and a keener focus on approach appears to be the order of the day.