Sports Desk : dhakamirror.com
Bangladesh one-day international skipper Tamim Iqbal expressed their eagerness to have their veteran campaigner Mahmudullah in the squad for the forthcoming ICC World Cup scheduled for October–November in India.
Mahmudullah’s inclusion in the side came under scrutiny following his dismal performance in the three-match one-day international series against the touring England, where he finished with 31, 32, and 8, compelling the team management to drop him in the following home series against Ireland.
They further overlooked him in their next three matches against Ireland, scheduled to start in Chelmsford on Tuesday, causing speculation that the veteran might fail to make his place in the approaching global event.
‘I have heard a lot about this. I don’t think so, as, of course, he is in our plans. Although he is not in the team, he is doing well in the Dhaka Premier League,’ said Tamim in the UK on Sunday.
He further asserted that the squad for the upcoming Asia Cup would almost stay unchanged for the World Cup.
‘You might get an idea when we form the squad for the Asia Cup, which will be largely similar to the World Cup.’
Following the exclusion of Mahmudullah, the Tigers are desperately looking for a finisher in ODIs.
Another veteran campaigner, Mushfiqur Rahim, played at number six in the last home series against Ireland, a position he gave up six years ago.
The last time he batted at that position was back in December 2017 against New Zealand in Christchurch, but since then, he has batted mostly at the number four position.
The 35-year-old scored 44 after coming at six against Ireland in the series opener but hit a blazing unbeaten 60-ball 100 to prove his worth in his new role.
However, Tamim hinted that Mushfiq’s current position is not permanent, as he might get promoted or demoted for the sake of the team combination, adding that he would be batting at six for now.
‘He is batting at six, but no position is permanent. It’s not like he can’t bat at four and five. The circumstances will determine it [batting position].’
‘However, he will bat at six for the time being.’
The left-hander also expressed his desire to win the series against the Irish, although they couldn’t visit their playing ground [The County Cloud Ground] and didn’t play the lone warm-up game, as it was washed out due to rain on Friday.
‘Things are not under our control. Maybe we couldn’t take our best preparation due to the rough weather, but we are aiming for a sole objective, which is playing better cricket and winning,’ Tamim concluded.
