The exclusion of Mahmudullah from the Bangladesh squad for the forthcoming one-day international series against Ireland is a sign that his career is coming to an end in this format, opined the experts.
The visitors will feature in three ODIs against the hosts, scheduled for March 18, 20, and 23 at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.
‘I think Mahmudullah’s ODI career is on the line. His exclusion from the squad against Ireland indicates that the team management is looking for his replacement,’ said former Bangladesh national team captain Shafiqul Haque while talking to Journalists.
‘We saw the inclusion of new faces like Towhid Hridoy, while Shamim Hossain also returned to the side and could easily replace him. They [Towhid, Shamim] can also provide the same depth in batting as Mahmudullah. However, they are expected to do better in fielding than him [Mahmudullah],’ he added.
Besides being cut from the Bangladesh squad for the approaching Ireland series, Mahmudullah has already retired from the Tests.
Although national selector Habibul Bashar told the media on Monday that they have dropped Mahmudullah to examine their bench strength against the lower-ranked side, it is needless to say that the 37-year-old has been omitted on the back of his poor run in the recently-concluded ODI series against England, as he could bag only 71 runs in three matches.
Moreover, his below-par fielding in recent times has possibly compelled the team management to think of an alternative.
‘It’s very important to test the strength of our bench. If they don’t provide an opportunity for the reserve players to be prepared, then it is really tough to replace someone when he is injured during a significant series,’ said Bashar.
Despite the middle-order batsman holding the top spot among Bangladesh’s highest ODI run-getters since last July, he has rarely made an impact on the team’s performance.
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathursingha officially revealed in Chattogram that they have decided to form a new side ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023 and ICC T20 World Cup 2024, while saying that even seniors wouldn’t have a place in the side if they underperform.
To give more ground to the coach’s words, the national team selectors have brought back Rony Talukdar and Shamim Hossain and included Bangladesh Premier League top performers Towhid Hridoy and Tanvir Islam in the T20I squad against the touring England.
And for the ODIs against Ireland, Bangladesh Cricket Board has included wicketkeeper-batsman Zakir Hasan in the squad alongside the returning Yasir Ali, which shows that they are all set to move forward with a fresh side.
At the same time, it also illustrates that after Tests, Mahmudullah’s career in the 50-over format is also nearing an end.
This NEWS originally published in Dhaka based Newspaper New Age.
