Bangladesh’s World Cup Legend Joins National Set-Up In New Role

Bangladesh players celebrating a wicket (Source: AFP Photos)When the subject of discussion becomes Bangladesh’s all-time cricket legends, Shakib Al Hasan tops the chart by country miles. Even though the likes of Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal rose through the ranks time and again, it was Shakib who always delivered with impeccable consistency.However, there was one guy who remained underrated over the years. He is Mahmudullah, previously known as Mahmudullah Riyad, and now as Mohammad Mahmudullah.Mahmudullah smashed Bangladesh’s first-ever hundred in the World Cup history, getting there in 2015 at Adelaide Oval against England. In addition, he averages 52.44 in the ODI World Cups, having made 944 runs in 22 innings since making his debut there in 2011.Even though Shakib Al Hasan has 1332 runs in the World Cups, he averages 41.62 with a strike rate of 82.27. Mushfiqur Rahim is also above Mahmudullah in the chart, tallying 1079 runs, but his average stands at 34.80. Mahmudullah, on the other hand, has the best average as well as the best strike rate (84.81) among Bangladesh’s top three run-getters in the World Cup history.Mahmudullah Joins Bangladesh U19 As MentorThe Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday gave Mahmudullah more responsibility for the future. He will now work as a mentor for the Bangladesh U19 team, while Hannan Sarkar will serve as the head coach of the side.Hannan, meanwhile, will replace Naveed Nawaz, who has been in that position since 2018. Under him, they won the U19 World Cup in 2020, defeating the Yashasvi Jaiswal- and Tilak Varma-starred India U19 team in the final.Also Read: Hasan Mahmud, Bangladesh’s Forgotten Pacer, Lives The Dream In EnglandNaveed Nawaz will now work closely with Bangladesh’s Under-23 side. There, he will work as coach educator.“We have appointed Hannan Sarkar as Under-19 head coach while Naveed will be working with us in the Under-23 programme,” Fahim Sinha, BCB’s game development chairman, confirmed the development in a media statement.Known as an opener, Hannan Sarkar played 17 Tests and 20 ODIs for Bangladesh. Combined, he had eight half-centuries, five in red-ball cricket while the three in the 50-over format.When Did Mahmudullah Retire From Internationals?Last year in March, Mahmudullah retired from all international formats. Back then, he was in action only in ODIs. Prior to that, he retired from Tests in 2021 and T20Is in 2024.Over the years, Mahmudullah has played 50 Tests for Bangladesh. There, he did not do much, averaging under 35 for his 2914 runs, coupled with 45 wickets under his belt.In T20Is, he has played 141 times for the country, making 2444 runs while claiming 41 wickets. However, his preferred format was always ODIs, in which he scored 5689 runs and took 82 wickets in 239 matches.In total, Mahmudullah had four centuries in ODIs. Of them, three came only in the World Cups. More significantly, two came in back-to-back outings, first against England and then against New Zealand in 2015.Also Read: Fact Check: Did Travis Head Hit Back At Virat Kohli For IPL Handshake Drama?