Bangladesh cricket is set to get a glimpse of a new era in Tests when they take on hosts West Indies in the first of the two World Test Championship (WTC) fixtures from November 22 in Antigua.
Mahmudullah Riyad fell in the nervous nineties for the first time in his international career, but not before the veteran smashed a brilliant run-a-ball 98 to propel Bangladesh to 244 for eight in the series-deciding third ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah yesterday.
Former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal suddenly appeared in the press box yesterday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, just before the Tigers’ second T20I against hosts India at the venue.
Since the beginning of Bangladesh’s three-match T20I series against hosts India, there have been speculations regarding Mahmudullah Riyad’s retirement from the shortest format. Even Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sources had revealed early on Tuesday that there was an announcement coming from Mahmudullah.
Mahmudullah Riyad became the last of the ‘big five’ of Bangladesh -- also including Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal, and Mashrafe Bin Mortaza -- to announce his retirement from T20Is on Tuesday.
Bangladesh batter Mahmudullah Riyad said on Tuesday that he had no regrets looking back on his career after the 38-year-old announced he will retire from T20Is after the completion of the ongoing three-match T20I series against India.
“Who are you comparing whom with?” Bangladesh skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto said when a journalist asked a question drawing comparison between Mahmudullah Riyad and Shamim Patwari.
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.
Veteran Mahmudullah Riyad held his spot while Mehedi Hasan Miraz made a comeback to the T20I side as Bangladesh announced a 15-member squad for the three-match T20I series against India, starting in Gwalior on October 6.
According to sources in the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the board might consider giving farewell to stalwart Mahmudullah Riyad from the T20 format in one of the matches during Bangladesh's tri-nation T20I series in New Zealand next month.
Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is known as ‘Mr. Dependable’ for his cool and collective approach to batting in the middle-order. It has been his ability to keep the scoring-rate ticking in the middle overs with soft hands and patient technique that has seen Bangladesh through on many challenging situations.
Bangladesh head coach, Russell Domingo, said that he considered not taking Mahmudullah Riyad initially for the Zimbabwe T20s was the wrong thing to do.
The similarities were uncanny, the possibilities either too cruel or poetically just. The actor and his nemesis were the same, as were the stage and situation, give or take a wicket here and a run there.
Slow scoring rate, lack of firepower and inability to convert fifties into centuries once again cost Bangladesh as the Tigers posted a below-par total in the final and third ODI against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club today.
Mahmudullah Riyad scored his 26th ODI half-century as Bangladesh posted a challenging total of 290 for nine against Zimbabwe in the second ODI at the Harare Sports Club on Tuesday.
For Bangladesh, things have been chaotic in Tests and T20Is both on and off the field lately. The Test and T20I sides have seen sudden change in leadership, with Mominul Haque and Mahmudullah Riyad being stripped of captaincy of the Test and T20Is respectively.
If the squad in the Zimbabwe T20Is was an actual attempt at finding players, Mahmudullah's inclusion did not make sense. More worrying is the fact that if BCB seems to know what senior stars are capable of, why did they bring in someone whose own lack of form had seen him rested and shorn of captaincy just before the series?
Although there was little at stake for Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe, there were keen eyes on the performance from the new-look squad led by new skipper Nurul Hasan Sohan.
T20I skipper for just a series, Nurul Hasan Sohan's injury triggered chaos and exposed the lack of clarity in the decision-making of the Bangladesh national team's think tank once again.
