Shakib al Hasan heaped praise on veteran all-rounder Mahmudullah and believes he still has a lot to offer for Bangladesh in the coming days.
Not so long ago, Mahmudullah was stripped off the captaincy of Bangladesh Twenty20 International team after a disastrous World Cup campaign in 2021 and he was not even in the squad for the next edition in Australia in 2022 when Shakib was the captain.
Many people had written off Mahmudullah and thought that his international career was over citing his lack of form and fitness.
But Mahmudullah kept going on and dramatically came back to the squad in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India and became the highest scorer of the campaign for the Tigers.
And now, in 2024, he is one of the consistent performers of the Bangladesh team in white-ball cricket and still going strong.
Mahmudullah scored a handy 25 off 21 with two fours and as many sixes against the Netherlands and also took the crucial wicket of Vikramjit Sing in the 10th over of the innings.
Shakib was adjudged player of the match for his 64-run innings against the Dutch where Bangladesh won by 25 runs in Saint Vincent Thursday.
During the post-match press conference at Arnos Vale Stadium in Saint Vincent after the Dutch clash, when questions were asked about Mahmudullah and his impact in the team, Shakib said the experienced campaigner is one of the fittest players in the side and still can go a long way.
“As long as he (Mahmudullah) is fit and performing for the team (he will play). I think he'll continue. He has a long way to go, I believe. He is one of the fittest guys in our team, batting really well, contributing with the ball. Can't ask for more than that,” said Shakib while answering how long Mahmudullah can play for Bangladesh.
Apart from Mahmudullah, Shakib also showered praise on the latest inclusion of the team, the young leg-spinner Rishad Hossain, who made a great impact with his leg-spin bowling in crucial stages in recent matches.
In fact, Shakib applauded the whole bowling unit of the Tigers for their impressive performances of late.
“He (Rishad) is doing very well. I think he is showing a good character although he's new. But I think everyone is contributing here, especially the whole bowling unit,” he said.
“The way Mustafizur (Rahman) bowled and Taskin (Ahmed) and Tanzim Hasan Sakib bowled with a new ball…So, naturally, these contributions are also needed to make another bowler bowl well. I think our bowling unit is doing that.
“We should give credit to Mustafizur and Rishad (against the Netherlands). The way they bowled their four overs, they bowled incredibly well. It brought us back nicely to the match. We played well in the end.
“Our bowling unit has been consistently playing well for a long time. Especially the pace bowlers, they can be seen having that confidence. And I think the addition of Rishad is also a very good addition for us.”