Dhaka: Mahmudullah failed to live up to the expectation of steadying Bangladesh’s vulnerable middle order when the side pinned hopes on him to bail them out of danger in the absence of the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan. Of late, Bangladesh suffered a middle order collapse that caused their defeat in several matches, including the first ODI against Afghanistan, only to see their giant status in the ODI format in limbo.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, the key reason for the vulnerability in the middle order was the flop show of the experienced batters, who were the mainstays of the side for a long time. With Mushfiqur being ruled out of the remaining two ODIs due to his finger injury, sustained during the first game, Bangladesh expected Mahmudullah to come all guns blazing as the side has been in dire straits. However, the veteran batter was dismissed for just 3, which meant his last four ODI scores read 0, 1, 2, 3.
In the second ODI, Mahmudullah perished to a loose shot again, and th
e dismissal came at a moment when Bangladesh needed him for death over firepower. Fortunately for Bangladesh, debutant Jaker Ali Anik stood tall to hammer 27-ball 37 not out, which helped the side propel past 250 eventually. Bangladesh eventually put up 252-7 with skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto making the highest score of 76.