Dhaka, Feb 24: Dav Whatmore, former Bangladesh head coach and current team director of Fortune Barishal in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, believes that Mahmudullah Riyad has the experience to handle the finisher’s role for the Tigers in the shortest format.
Mahmudullah returned to the national T20I set-up after 2022 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) included him in the three-match T20I series, scheduled at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium from March 4.
The 38-year-old, who played his last T20I against Sri Lanka during the Asia Cup T20 in Dubai, had been overlooked for the last one and a half years but his scintillating performance in the ICC World Cup in India as well as the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, made the selectors bring him back to the side.
“I think he has the power which is needed in this format. If you ask him, he will probably tell you he would like to bat as high as possible. He certainly has the ability to clear the boundary and accelerate the run rate. So he could be used in a couple of ways. I suppose he can bat high and score big. Otherwise, he can come later in the innings and accelerate and clear the boundaries,” said Whatmore.
The former Australian cricketer added that he doesn’t buy the opinion that Mahmudullah is an old horse and cannot take the load of playing high-intensity T20I games.“It (T20) is a very athletic and volatile game but it also has a place for experience,” he added. (Agencies)
