Mahmudullah, a senior batsman for Bangladesh, has refused to comment on the treatment he received from the selectors leading up to the World Cup. He said that he has a lot to say, but this is not the right time to do so while the tournament is underway. Mahmudullah’s batting has been one of the few positives for Bangladesh in the tournament, as they find themselves at the bottom of the points table after four losses.
Batting at number six, he hit a valiant 111 against South Africa, but it was not enough to prevent a 149-run defeat. It is believed that the selectors were moving on from the 37-year-old in the months leading up to the World Cup. However, underwhelming performances from the other batters, especially the young brigade, forced them to call him back after six months in the wilderness. During the period Mahmudullah was away from the team, the selectors maintained the stance that he was rested.
“It was a good time. I can’t say anything regarding that time. I do want to talk about a lot of things but this is not the right time to talk about,” Mahmudullah told the media after the match against South Africa. “All I can say is that I wanted to contribute to the team. I would have liked to contribute more so that we won the game. Probably Allah has given me the strength to keep going. I tried to keep my fitness in shape. I kept working hard. That is all I can do,” he added.
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Mahmudullah dedicated his century to those who supported him in the “last three months.”
“I would like to dedicate it to my family and those people who supported and prayed for me in the last three months. I want to thank those among you who supported me, and those who didn’t support me.”
The 37-year-old said he was told by the coach Chandika Hathurusingha that he would bat as low as at No. 6 despite the fact that Bangladesh needed his experience and presence in the middle-order.
Mahmudullah while celebrating his hundred:
“It was always you Allah, not me.” ❤️ #CWC23 pic.twitter.com/0kRX9Y3cOW
— Saif Ahmed 🇧🇩 (@saifahmed75) October 24, 2023
“I tried to contribute to the team’s cause. I have seen a lot of ups and downs throughout my career. (Batting down the order) is fine. Yesterday (Monday), coach told me that I was batting at No 6. I went out there and played my game.”
Mahmudullah said Bangladesh could not bat aggressively against South Africa as they lost too many wickets at the top.
“Nobody likes to lose. It was obviously disappointing. I think there was movement early on, but it was a good wicket overall. We lost early wickets. We did not recover.”
– Hundred vs England.
– Hundred vs New Zealand.
– Hundred vs South Africa.3rd World Cup hundred for Mahmudullah and all came against SENA countries – one of the legends from Bangladesh…..!!! pic.twitter.com/ZudpO4ar05
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) October 24, 2023
Mahmudullah said Bangladesh are not able to create momentum for themselves after hurtling from one loss to another.
“I think we are not getting that momentum. Whether batting or bowling, you have to create an opportunity to win the game. We haven’t got there. The bowlers made the job easy for us against Afghanistan. We have not created those opportunities in the other games. We are discussing, doing meetings, but we have not been able to execute it.
With Bangladesh plummeting to the last spot in the points table, Mahmudullah conceded that their hopes of making it to the semifinals are over.
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“There’s no point thinking about outcomes now, whether we can reach semifinals or not. We get a win in the next game, we get some momentum for the next match,” he said.
Mahmudullah’s refusal to comment on the treatment he received from the selectors is likely to raise further questions about the team management. It is also a sign of the frustration and disappointment that is currently engulfing the Bangladesh camp.
