Mahmudullah speaks up on his speculated rift with Shakib Al Hasan
Mahmudullah had an average time in the World Cup, going by the standards he has set.
A few days ago, reports of a souring relationship between Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah, two of Bangladesh cricket’s stalwarts, came to the fore. It was learned that Shakib wasn’t happy with Riyad’s approach during their World Cup match against England in Cardiff. Sources said that even as the other members of the team believed in a victory, Mahmudullah didn’t show intent.
If reports are to be believed then Shakib even asked ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza to drop Mahmudullah, but the captain didn’t pay heed to his words. The same was known to have made Shakib unhappy and the all-rounder didn’t take much part in team meeting thereafter.
Mahmudullah’s behaviour inside the dressing room was also questioned. Sources said that he misbehaved with his teammates after his knock versus Afghanistan. After all the commotion and chaos, Mahmudullah has opened up on his alleged rift with Shakib and the others.
I thought that I needed to clarify things, says Mahmudullah
“A while ago, I saw a headline in the online platform regarding the incident with Shakib has been put up in various ways. To be honest, I didn’t have any fights or problems with him. We are playing for a long time and we are very good friends. The rumours of a rift between me and Shakib are completely baseless,” Mahmudullah was quoted as saying in a video on Instagram.
“I thought that I needed to clear things and clear the air over the issue. We have some important games ahead of us. Pray for us so that we can put our best foot forward for the Bangladesh team,” the all-rounder added.
Mahmudullah had an average time in the World Cup, going by the standards he has set. He got into the 20s a number of times, but was unable to convert them. His top score of 69 came against Australia at the Trent Bridge in Nottingham. He was set to be rested for the Sri Lanka ODIs as well.
But he ended up playing as Shakib and Liton Das took a break after the gruelling schedule in the mega event. Mahmudullah had a torrid time in Lanka as he couldn’t breach the two-figure mark even once at the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The 33-year-old ended up with scores of 3, 6 and 9.
List of Virat Kohli’s ridiculously expensive assets
Download Our App