Mahmudullah is not perturbed about ODI captaincy right now

A stable batsman who and bats in the middle order has the ability to anchor the innings as well as finish it Mahmudullah Riyad is not thinking about ODI captaincy at present. This comes on the back of recent rumours that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is looking for a new captain for the ODI format. Public opinion is in favour of Mahmudullah, with many cricket fans considering him to be a deserving successor to current captain, Mashrafe Mortaza.

The 31-year-old boasts of an exemplary captaincy record in the domestic realm of Bangladesh cricket. As a player, he has played first-class and List A cricket for Dhaka Division and has represented Bangladesh in all forms of the game. He has also captained the Khulna Titans in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). He is the first Bangladeshi to have scored a World Cup hundred.

Mahmudullah’s take on ODI captaincy

Recently, when questioned on the probable ODI captaincy, Mahmudullah echoed his sentiments about being involved in the game and not being perturbed about taking the baton in the future. He said, “National team captaincy is far away. I don’t think about it. I always try to give my best effort to the team. Currently, all of my concentration are on Khulna Titans. What will happen in future will be seen in future.”

Last two editions of the BPL have given ample proof of his worth as skipper. Despite the Khulna Titans being devoid of big names, Mahmudullah led his side to the semi-finals in the 2016 edition of the tournament. Incidentally, he was also the leading run-scorer of the tournament.

Immense pressure to be an able successor to Mortaza

If Mahmudullah is indeed handed the responsibility of serving as the future Bangladesh ODI captain, the onus is going to be on him to perform at par with the standards set by the current captain, Mashrafe Mortaza. Under the latter’s captaincy, Bangladesh have played the quarter-finals of a World Cup for the first time. Further, they played the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy for the very first time in the recently concluded edition under Mortaza’s leadership, making him one of the most successful ODI captains for Bangladesh.