Mahmudullah’s international career appears to have come to an end. Following his absence from the Asia Cup squad, what was once a whisper has become a resonant noise. The same squad will very certainly be retained for the World Cup.
After retiring from Test cricket and later losing his position in the T20I team due to poor performances and results as captain, Mahmudullah’s last chance to add to his 389 international caps came in the 50-over format. Losing the T20I captaincy indicated that his days in the shortest format were over, despite selectors recalling the veteran for the third T20 against Zimbabwe after the tourists were injured.
However, Mahmudullah’s T20 career was cut short after the Asia Cup in 2022, as Bangladesh chose for a youthful core for the T20 World Cup under the guidance of Shakib al Hasan. The seasoned batsman, who was left out of the three-match ODI series against Ireland in March, was unable to reclaim his place in the subsequent away ODI series against Ireland and home series against Afghanistan.
However, the 37-year-old was spotted sweating out at the recent conditioning camp to demonstrate that his fitness was not an issue, despite the fact that it had been a big source of conflict for team management whenever his name was brought in the selection meeting.
Mahmudullah got 17.6 in the Yo-Yo exam, but that wasn’t enough to impress the selection committee, who passed him up for the Asia Cup. The judgment of BCB’s selection panel, on the other hand, drew harsh criticism.
Former Bangladesh team director Khaled Mahmud stated on Tuesday (August 15) that he did not believe Mahmudullah’s career was gone or that the selection panel was out to prove a point to him, as has been suggested.
“Do you believe Nanno, Bashar, and Razzak [members of the national selection panel] are Mahmudullah’s enemies?” “Razak and Riyad (Mahmudullah) were teammates, so this is all nonsense,” Mahmud stated. “Perhaps they have a strategy, and I can’t ask Hathurusingha [Bangladesh head coach] why he wasn’t selected.”
“I’d like to say… Why is the World Cup the end of Riyad?” Because the World Cup concludes in October and there will be a lot of cricket following that. If he gets 17.6 on the Yo-Yo test, he may prepare and try again next year,” he says.
“Whether it’s the T20 or ODI World Cup, if a player doesn’t get a chance, you say his career is over.” Riyad does not do anything else but [play cricket]. I believe he’ll play domestic cricket. “I was out ten times in my career and came back ten times, so there’s no point in making a big deal out of it,” he remarked.
“I won’t say I’m seeing his end because Riyad is still a good fighter.” There is no purpose in breaking down because of a team combination or anything else. Riyad, I agree, is aging at the same time. We can’t say it’s over for him because of the way he loves to fight, and chances may come in the future. Riyad is still a BCB contract player, and he will have that sportsman spirit and fight with himself, which is the most important thing. “I believe it is too early to declare Riyad finished, and until he says it is, he will be in the pipeline because he has the ability to play for Bangladesh,” he said.
Mahmud went on to say that players should know when to call it quits since their unwillingness to retire even as they age prohibits them from receiving an on-field send-off. BCB offered Mahmudullah the opportunity of retiring from T20 early, but he declined.
“I have retired from cricket.” I realized that my time was up and that the next generation was approaching. If I don’t leave, the kids won’t be able to come, which is a significant deal. So players will have to make a decision when the time is right, which will be difficult because I went through that phase [when I decided to leave the game].
“Cricket was not our profession; it was our passion because we didn’t make much money,” the former national captain added. “I’m not sure why players of this generation find it difficult to quit and why they are afraid to make that decision.”
