DHAKA, Feb 21, 2020 (BSS) – After being axed, what the team management termed as ‘rest’, Mahmudullah Riyad returned to country’s domestic first class cricket in which he would be the part of South Zone in their Bangladesh
Cricket League (BCL) final game against Islami Bank East Zone at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Saturday.
The senior batsman, however, would start his journey to get back Test spot
from this match, said his close friends.
Even though head coach, Russell Domingo told him to consider his future,
Mahmudullah took the challenge of regaining his place in longer version
format, a thing that was revealed by coach himself.
“At the moment he is out of the team and I’ve put it to him to consider his
future because I see him as very much an integral part of our white ball
cricket,” Domingo said, adding that his determination made him really
impressed.
“Mahmudullah Riyad is adamant that he wants to fight for his spot back into
Tests. He has played 49 Tests and been a fantastic performer for Bangladesh.
It’s good to have that sort of determination and fight to get back into the
team. In white ball cricket he is one of our main players but full credit to
him for wanting to come back to Tests.”
In the last 10 Test innings, Mahmudullah has just one fifty plus knock but
it was not his ran-draught that prompted team management to drop him rather
it was his intent that was questioned. The way he got out in the last Test
against Pakistan and previously against India, playing the ball outside off,
being double-minded made even his hardcore fans angry.
There was rumour that Domingo advised Mahmudullah to retire from the Test
cricket and concentrate solely on the white-ball cricket. But Domingo denied
it, saying he can’t tell any player to stop.
“It’s not up to me to tell a player to stop playing. A player who has
played for as long as he did, deserves the right to decide whether he is
finished trying to play for this country,” he said.