Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah bowls during a training session at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on Tuesday. — New Age photo
Bangladesh’s stand-in captain Mahmudullah said on Tuesday that he was relishing the challenge of leading Bangladesh in the first of two-Test series against Sri Lanka, starting in Chittagong today.
Mahmudllah would be the 10th man to lead Bangladesh in a Test match after he took over the charge from Sakib al Hasan, the newly-appointed captain, who was ruled out of the game with a finger injury.
‘I really didn’t want to get it [captaincy] like this way,’ Mahmudullah told reporters in the pre-match press-conference in Chittagong.
‘Sakib is a very important player for us. Losing him is a big heartbreak for us. It’s a very hurtful thing for the team to miss a top class player like him.’
It was also an irony for the 31-year old batsman as he would lead the Tigers against Sri Lanka, an opposition against whom he was dropped from the squad ahead of Bangladesh’s 100th Test match in Colombo last year.
The reason behind his exclusion from the second Test, his former head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, will also be present at the dressing-room of the Islanders.
Mahmudullah said he has no headache with these things as he was looking forward to giving his best effort in the match.
‘I have no headache about it. I’m only thinking how I can give my team better service. If I can give my best effort then it’s enough. If we can perform our works properly then it will be good enough for us,’ he said.
‘There are challenges in a cricketer’s life. It is important how you are taking those challenges. If you think it as positive then it will be positive for you.
‘If you think negatively then I don’t think it would give you any benefits. Every day, there will be new challenges.
‘Test cricket is a different format and the five-day are equally important. There are lots of challenges in every session. So it is important to play session by session. It is important to go step by step.
‘It’s a dream for every player to lead his side, his country. If you think about the perspective, then obviously it’s a great feeling,’ he added.
Mahmudullah, who has the experience of leading several teams in many domestic tournaments, said his calmness in the field could help him make important decisions in crucial moments.
Despite being a cool person, Mahmudullah said that he could be tough if needed to turn the things in his team’s favour.
‘I won’t give any favour when I’m in the business. I will try anything to support my team – like behaving rude or inspiring the players. It’s my duty to give Bangladesh cricket a better service,’ said Mahmudullah.
‘I think as a captain the main thing is to take many decisions in the field. If you don’t keep calm then your decisions can’t be so effective. If you remain cool then it becomes very easy to take a decision.
‘When I lead the side in domestic cricket, I always try to remain cool. I think it helps me to take good decisions,’ he added.
Source: New Age.
