‘We are human beings and make mistakes’ – Mahmudullah hits out at critics after Bangladesh qualify for T20 WC Super 12

Bangladesh T20I skipper Mahmudullah came down hard on the constant criticism hurled at the players on social media. On Thursday, October 21, the Tigers qualified for the Super 12 of the T20 World Cup after their 84-run win over Papua New Guinea. They didn’t make a great start to the tournament as Kyle Coetzer’s Scotland defeated them by six runs in Al Amerat.

The pressure was on Bangladesh, who had to win both their games to make it to the Super 12s. However, they showed a great amount of resilience and defeated Oman by 26 runs on Tuesday. Thereafter, the Tigers put their A-game forward against Assad Vala’s PNG. Mahmudullah said that while constructive criticisms are welcome, “belittling” is something uncalled for.

“Everyone has social media on their phone. We expect criticism when it is warranted, but if that is belittling, we feel bad,” Mahmudullah said in the post-match press conference.

We play with injuries, take painkillers, says Mahmudullah

“There were many questions, including about the three senior players’ strike rate. We tried hard, but we didn’t get the result. Everyone makes sacrifices. We play with injuries. Some of us take painkillers every day. Many don’t know about these things, so it is not right to talk about our commitment.

“I hope we can be more settled now. Within the team, there is positive energy, and for that, I thank the whole team. I hope things will get better,” he stated.

“We are human beings and we also make mistakes. When we play, the whole country plays together. I don’t think anyone has more feelings for it than us. We played bad and we knew that we would receive criticism. We all were hurt by it,” Mahmudullah added.

Bangladesh also received criticism from BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon after their loss at the hands of Scotland. Hasan took a dig at Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah.

In the first game, Mahmudullah failed to take his team home. But on Thursday, he scored a 28-ball 50 with three fours and as many sixes, helping his team post 181 on the board. However, it was Shakib, who became the Player of the Match after scoring 46 runs and picking up four wickets.