Bangladesh T20I skipper Mahmudullah said on Monday (November 22) that he respects the decision of the umpires that nearly changed the course of the game against Pakistan in the final match of the T20I series.
Mahmudullah in his only over of the match nearly changed the outcome, as he took three wickets in the 20th over, but in the end he couldn’t get the job done despite some late drama that turned out to be the talking point of the game.
When Mahmudullah released the fifth ball of the over, Pakistan’s Mohammad Nawaz pulled out of his stance at the last moment and the ball went on to hit the stumps. It created quite a stir as the umpire called it a dead ball.
“I just asked the umpire whether it’s a fair ball or not because he (Nawaz) pulled out late. I just asked this to the umpire nothing else,” Mahmudullah said after the game. “Umpire’s call is final and we do respect umpires. It’s a little bit heartbreaking. We went closer but unfortunately it did not happen,” he further added.
Even though Naim Hassan batted slowly earlier in the day during the Bangladesh innings, Mahmudullah threw his weight behind the player considering the hosts needed a partnership at that stage. “I think we needed a good partnership that time and Naim played well. The partnership between Naim and Afif was important,” he said.
The skipper also pointed out that the pitches for this series were a lot better than the ones they played on during the home series against Australia and New Zealand before the T20 World Cup. “Wicket was pretty good in this series compared to the last home series against Australia and New Zealand,” he said.
“Actually if we had won one or two matches, the confidence level of the team would have been better. Our dressing room was cheerful during the Australia and New Zealand series. Players feel bad when the team loses. I think all the players tried hard and gave their best. Unfortunately the result did not come our way.”
Bangladesh tried a few youngsters in the three-match T20I series and according to the experienced campaigner, those newbies need some time to adjust to international cricket.
“Of course, there were many new faces,” he pointed out. “Saif made debut. Today Shohidul played his maiden T20 match. He bowled very well. It was a great opportunity for young boys to prove them. It will take some time to make a balanced team because T20 format is not easy especially for young players. I hope they will learn it and perform well.”
