Mahmudullah proves prowess in crisis

Mahmudullah Riyad has been the face of all criticism in Bangladesh cricket for most parts of the year, but he rose to the occasion on Wednesday as he helped Bangladesh climb out of a hole alongside Mehidy Hasan Miraz.

Miraz will deservedly receive all the plaudits on Wednesday, but Mahmudullah’s knock was invaluable as he steadily kept Bangladesh in the tie.

His performance throughout the year was dreadful as he often looked like a fish out of water with the veteran finding proper timing hard to come by.

That was also evident on Sunday in the first One-Day International when he played 35 balls to score 14 runs, an innings that could have turned out to be a match-losing one.

Mahmudullah built his reputation as a crisis-man, saving the Tigers from embarrassing situations throughout his career. But in recent times, when the team needed acceleration, he was continuously failing as his strike rate this year had been only 66.59.

But on Wednesday, his side needed him to do exactly that, bat slow and keep the team in the game. And Mahmudullah did it.

His innings progression was slow. He took 44 balls to reach 30, and then 30 more to get his 27th half-century. By that time, he and Miraz were set at the crease, meaning he could let loose.

And then he accelerated. In the next 22 balls, among which the last was his dismissal, he scored 27, ensuring Bangladesh changed gears at the right time.

This probably was the most Mahmudullah innings ever as this has been the template of his career thus far. He starts out slow and speeds up when he is properly set.

While that was a good way to score and help the team a decade back, ODI cricket has evolved since then for the better, meaning batters rarely have the luxury to start extremely slow.

And that is why Mahmudullah was subject to such criticism. While his batting is still a perfect fit on days when the team is under crisis, the 36-year-old fails to fit the bill when it comes to more normal situations, where the number six batter is expected to accelerate straight away rather than getting their feet in.

The game has evolved. And Mahmudullah has to do so too. If not, the criticism will keep on circulating, and he will not have a crisis to deal with at his hand every day.