A year a ago when Mahmudullah Riyad ended his long wait for a Test debut against an struggling West Indies, it appeared that Bangladesh have finally found another off-spinner after the retirement of erratic Naimur Rahman.
He along with Sakib al Hasan mesmerised the Caribbeans in the two-Test series giving Bangladesh a genuine hope that they have got another cricketer who can serve them equally with bat and ball in the longer version games.
An unbeaten 96 against India batting with tail-enders in Dhaka and a century against New Zealand in a difficult condition and difficult situation only boosted his confidence and raised a hope for Bangladesh.
In one-day cricket he was equally consistent at the beginning of the year, making the 24-year all-rounder from Mymensingh a star almost overnight. A classic half-century against England in the first Test in Chittagong only gave his stardom an added colour.
Here comes the end of his dramatic rise and Mahmudullah got introduced with harsh reality when Bangladesh went to England for a return tour in June-July. He failed to score a half-century in the two-Test series and was barely used as a bowler.
The one-day form of Mahmudullah dipped even faster with his last half-century coming against India in January this year. In the last 15 matches Mahmudullah is without a fifty, which even put his place in one-day side in jeopardy.
The return of Alok Kapali gave the selectors an ample food for thought, though they still kept their faith with Mahmudullah, at least for the upcoming home series against New Zealand.
And Mahmudullah believes this will be the series when he will also be back on track and so will Bangladesh.
‘We are working very hard, I am confident that we would be able to do something good in the series,’ Mahmudullah told reporters after the end of a rain-interrupted warm-up match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Thursday,’ he told reporters.
‘I agree that I did not perform well in the Asia Cup and also on England tour and I believe these things can happen as you know there are always ups and downs in the career of a cricketer,’ said Mahmudullah.
‘But I don’t think I am totally off-form. I was 24 not out in the second one-day match against England, which we won. I am happy for my contribution in the win and I am confident that I can do it in future,’ he said.
Mahmudullah said a change in his action also affected his performance as a bowler.
‘I was working on my action under Champaka [Ramanayeke] as it was not as smooth as it should be. I think I will be more comfortable when I will be able to bowl with my new action which will give me some much-needed variation and accuracy,’ he said.
