I will start hitting from the first ball

In the just-concluded three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, the 'Silent Killer' Mahmudullah Riyad was silent when it came to performances. 

He also missed a straightforward catch at fine leg to drop Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who went on to make an unbeaten ton in the third ODI as Bangladesh slumped to a seven-wicket loss. His form with the bat in the ODIs raised eyebrows going into the T20I series against Afghanistan on Thursday. He struck just one boundary in the three innings he played. An unbeaten boundary-less 29 off 53 balls in the third ODI raised questions regarding his approach against Afghanistan. Riyad was on the front foot at press conference in the noon. He was seen hitting some big ones at the nets just prior to the press conference. "I will start hitting from the first ball. I will try to hit fours and sixes. Obviously, I will try so that my fielding effort is good. Maybe I didn't field well but will try to contribute with my fielding," Mahmudullah said on Wednesday. 

Then he was asked whether he had any doubts over holding onto his place. "First of all, I want to ask you that 'are you concerned regarding my place?'," Riyad asked the journalist who was pondering over whether the T20 skipper had doubts over his own place in the squad. "I am not in doubt. I think I am on the right track. Probably I need to hit some good balls and will be back on the right track. Maybe the team also expects the same from me. Maybe I didn't deliver in the ODIs but I will try to meet the expectations the team has from me and fulfill them. Somedays you will not be successful but if I put my heart out for the team, that's the most important," he reiterated.

Questions cloud Mahmudullah

There was a plenty of drama in Zimbabwe in July last year when Mahmudullah Riyad announced his retirement from Test cricket to teammates in the dressing room mid-Test just after hitting a hundred in Harare. He eventually made an official statement ahead of the two-match Test series against Pakistan in November 2021. Since then, Mahmudullah's approach and body language, both as player and leader of Bangladesh's T20 side, has remained a mystery, especially after the Tigers' poor run in the T20 World Cup last year. They crashed to a shock defeat to Scotland before losing two close games to Sri Lanka and West Indies. They were then bundled out for 84 and 73 in losses to South Africa and Australia respectively, resembling a ship without a radar in the event. 

As the captain, Mahmudullah shouldered the failure and the board kept faith on the experienced cricketer, but things worsened as the Tigers lost a home series 3-0 to Pakistan. In the just-concluded three-match ODI series against Afghanistan, the 'Silent Killer' was silent when it came to performances and a lack of focus on the field was evident. The 36-year-old's fitness also came under scrutiny as he dropped a straightforward catch off Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who went on to score an unbeaten match-winning hundred in the third ODI.