Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Mahmudullah was severely criticized by fans on social media for his batting style in the shortest version of the game Former T20I skipper experienced batter Mahmudullah Riyad has been dropped from the 15-man squad of the forthcoming T20 World Cup in Australia next month as premier all-rounder Shakib al Hasan will lead the side.
The squad was announced after a BCB meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Mahmudullah, who led the Tigers in the final edition of the T20 World Cup in the United Arab Emirates last year, has come under scrutiny lately for his lean spell in the game’s shortest format, particularly his low batting average.
It has also been learned that the cricketer has fallen out of favor with team management and selection since a dismal showing at the Asian Cup earlier this month, which saw Bangladesh exit the group stage without a single win.
However, star opener Liton Das, wicketkeeper-batsman Nurul Hasan Sohan and Pacer Hasan Mahmud, all of them were ruled out of the Asian Cup due to injuries, have been recalled to the team for the World Cup.
Liton missed the last two ODIs against Zimbabwe in August and the entire Asian Cup due to a hamstring injury, while Nurul was unable to travel to the UAE for the continental championship due to a finger injury picked up during the Zimbabwe tour.
Hasan, who returned to the national team on the last Zimbabwe tour after over 16 months, unfortunately injured his right ankle during a pre-Asia Cup training session.
Soumya Sarkar, who was dropped from the squad following his poor performances in the last edition of the T20 World Cup, has been kept as one of the four stand-by players in the squad.
Whispers of Soumya’s inclusion to the side were rife in the past few days with the opening position still the major area of concern for the Bangladesh team management ahead of the marquee T20 event.
Yasir Ali, who has been struggling with injury recently, also returns to the squad.
This will also be Bangladesh’s first T20 World Championship without veteran fighter Mushfiqur Rahim, who withdrew from the format just days after the Asian Cup.
