Mahmud-ullah promised to make an impact in the impending World Cup after the all-rounder had rediscovered his batting and bowling form and is confident to leave his recent bad patch in international cricket behind him.
After playing in every game of all formats since the tour of West Indies in 2009, Mahmudullah was dropped from the starting line-up in the last three ODIs against Zimbabwe.
But the all-rounder showed signs of returning to form in the just-concluded Dhaka Premier League and is now eagerly waiting for the World Cup to begin.
‘I can only say that I had a bad time but I have redeemed myself and I am confident that I will be able to perform to my ability. I am very excited and eagerly waiting for the first game,’ Mahmudullah told reporters during the opening media session.
‘At the beginning of last year I did well in the tri-nation series. But somehow I lost my touch and was desperate to rediscover my form in the league and I was successful. It gives me confidence to do well,’ said Mahmudullah.
Mahmudullah wants to make the World Cup an occasion for him to savour by playing some breezy knocks at the lower-order which can be considered as innings of a lifetime. He is also eager to show his ability to play shots which he may require during the batting powerplay.
‘I want to play a memorable innings. Because I will bat at the lower middle-order I have to do that in a quick span of time,’ he said.
Mahmudullah is comfortable with the number seven position in the national team, though in the domestic league he is an upper-order batsman for his club side as well as the divisional side.
‘If I could bat a bit upper in the order for the national team then it would have been good. But I have no complaint for it. I have settled down at number seven position and I am happy with that,’ said the all-rounder.
Mahmudullah is in favour of taking the batting powerplay in their last phase of the game as it can at least save them from getting under too much pressure by losing too many early wickets.
‘If we take batting powerplay a bit early then there is a chance that we will lose a couple of wickets at that stage which will put us in a pressure situation. That is the reason why we should take powerplay in the last five to six overs,’ he said.
Despite being a decent off-spinner, Mahmudullah is happy with his role as a batting all-rounder. As a bowler his job should be to contain the opposition batsmen, thinks the Mymensingh lad.
‘As there are a lot of spinners in the side I am sure the players will target me and Naeem. I will try to contain the batsman. If we can contain the batsmen then hopefully we will also get some breakthroughs,’ he said.
