Mushfiqur Rahim’s omission entirely Bangladesh team management’s decision: Mahmudullah

Bangladesh T20 skipper Mahmudullah Riyad said that Mushfiqur Rahim’s exclusion from the Pakistan T20Is is completely the team management’s decision. The Bogra-born Mushfiqur didn’t have the best of outings in the T20 World Cup 2021. Apart from his unbeaten 57-run knock against Sri Lanka in the Super 12, the veteran strained to make much of an impact.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board said that Mushfiqur has been rested keeping in mind the four Test matches against Pakistan and New Zealand – all of which are a part of the World Test Championship cycle. Mahmudullah refrained from making any remarks on Mushfiqur’s omission, but said that the team would miss him in the three-match T20I series, starting November 19.

“If you ask the team management it will be better. I am not sure what Mushfiqur said and can only say something after seeing it. This decision (excluding Mushfiqur from T20) is entirely of the team management and I am not ready to say anything in this regard, but all I can say is that we will miss Mushfiqur,” Mahmudullah was quoted as saying in Cricbuzz.

I am not too worried about it, says Mahmudullah on his captaincy

Mahmudullah went into the T20 World Cup as Bangladesh’s most successful T20 skipper. However, after winning two out of three games in the Qualifiers, they slumped to five losses on the trot in the Super 12. After Bangladesh’s poor show, Mahmudullah said that he has left his captaincy future to the team management.

“It is totally the team management or board’s decision (as far as captaincy is concerned). I am not too worried about it. If I have to say about my position (as the captain) then I will have to say a lot of things and I don’t want to say it here,” he stated.

Mahmudullah also said that he wants to get past the disappointment of the mega event and focus on things to come. “I don’t want to talk about the World Cup. If we keep talking about what has happened, it might create a negative effect. I am really focused on the T20 match (tomorrow), how I can contribute as an individual player,” Mahmudullah added.

Bangladesh will play three T20Is against Babar Azam’s Pakistan in Dhaka before taking part in a two-match Test series in Chattogram and Dhaka.