In a gripping contest at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Towhid Hridoy and Shamim Hossain showcased their talent to guide Bangladesh to a hard-fought five-wicket win over Afghanistan in the first T20I of the two-match series.

The duo displayed maturity and resilience during their crucial partnership of 73 runs, successfully chasing down the target of 154 runs. Hridoy remained unbeaten on a brilliant 47 off just 32 balls, while Shamim provided valuable support with his 33 runs off 25 deliveries.

Bangladesh faced an early setback when opener Rony Talukdar departed in the very first over of the innings after scoring only four runs from five balls. Despite the early setback, the Tigers managed to recover and reach 37 runs for the loss of two wickets by the end of the powerplay.

Najmul Hossain Shanto, batting at number three, couldn’t convert his start and fell victim to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Shanto’s unfortunate dismissal occurred when the ball deflected off his upper body onto the stumps as he attempted a sweep shot, resulting in a score of 14 runs from 12 balls.

Liton Das, who contributed 18 runs from 19 balls, was dismissed shortly after the powerplay when he mistimed a short delivery from pacer Azmatullah Omarzai, resulting in a catch for Rashid Khan at short mid-wicket.

Captain Shakib Al Hasan couldn’t capitalize on his promising start and was dismissed for 19 runs off 17 balls, slashing a wide delivery from pacer Fareed Ahmad straight to deep point. This dismissal occurred immediately after the drinks break.

However, the fifth-wicket partnership between Hridoy and Shamim proved to be the turning point, bringing the Tigers closer to victory. Unfortunately, Shamim fell to Rashid Khan in the 18th over while attempting an aggressive shot.

With only five runs required in the final over, Bangladesh faced a nervy situation as they lost three wickets in three balls, including a hat-trick by pacer Karim Janat. Amidst the tension, Shoriful Islam kept his composure and struck a boundary through point to secure a thrilling victory for Bangladesh.

On Monday, Afif Hossain and Shamim Hossain, two promising young batters, were spotted practicing in the indoor nets at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Although they were not part of the recent series against Ireland, they actively participated in the Dhaka Premier League (DPL) instead.

Historically, both Afif and Shamim have showcased their skills as finishers for the Bangladesh team. Their presence in the national team’s “pre-series camp” ahead of the Afghanistan series raised the question of why Mahmudullah, an experienced player, was not present.

Another notable addition to the camp was opener Mohammad Naim, who is currently not part of the national team in any format. Naim’s last appearance for the Tigers was in August 2022 during the Asia Cup match against Afghanistan. The camp included a total of 26 cricketers, encompassing those currently part of the national team or in close contention. Surprisingly, Mahmudullah was not included among this substantial selection of players.

During the recent DPL, Mahmudullah batted 15 times in 16 matches, amassing 510 runs at an average of 36.42 and a strike rate of 87.17. These statistics are commendable for a middle-order batsman. However, despite his decent performance, why was he overlooked for the 26-member camp? Does this absence from a crucial training camp in a World Cup year indicate that Mahmudullah’s time in the Bangladesh team is coming to an end?

Further investigation revealed that Mahmudullah had requested leave for the Hajj pilgrimage. His leave is scheduled from 22 June to 5 July, coinciding with the start of the series against Afghanistan. Consequently, it appears unlikely that Mahmudullah will be able to participate in the home series.

“Riyad (Mahmudullah) has requested leave for Hajj. He will be on the Hajj pilgrimage from 22 June to 5 July. After that, he will join the camp. Therefore, he won’t be able to play in the ODI series as the first match is on the 5th,” stated Jalal Yunus, the Chairman of the BCB cricket operations.

Nevertheless, the national team continues to progress without Mahmudullah. Having retired from Test cricket, he now exclusively focuses on white-ball formats. Since the T20 Asia Cup last year, Mahmudullah has not been considered for selection in the shortest format. Additionally, he has been absent from the ODI team since the home series against England in February.

Bangladesh recently played two ODI series against Ireland without Mahmudullah and emerged victorious in both. In his absence, the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim took up the No. 6 batting position and excelled, scoring 286 runs at a strike rate of 120.

Mushfiqur’s outstanding performances at No. 6 provided an opportunity for young talent Towhid Hridoy to shine at No. 5. He made the most of his chances, accumulating 249 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 111.

The brilliant form of Mushfiqur and Towhid has thus far prevented Yasir Ali from securing a spot in the middle order. Additionally, Afif’s impressive performances in the DPL caught everyone’s attention. In 13 innings, he scored 550 runs, including one century and four half-centuries, at a remarkable strike rate of 110.

Considering the current circumstances, Mahmudullah’s return to the national team seems increasingly unlikely. However, there remains hope among many that this seasoned cricketer will feature in the ODI World Cup, scheduled to take place in India later this year.

Prior to the home series against Ireland, Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha had inquired about Mahmudullah’s future plans. In response, Mahmudullah expressed his intention to participate in the World Cup.

Only time will tell if Mahmudullah’s aspirations will be fulfilled.

Shamim is fighting to stand in the rubble. Resisted with Nasum. After the loss of 7 wickets for 62 runs, the path of the duo started. He was moving smoothly. Nasum was in danger while driving a low full toss from Delaney. The ball goes to Sterling at extra cover. Nasum scored 13 runs off 17 balls. The pair of 33 runs was broken. Shamim’s partner at the crease is Shariful. Delaney wide the last ball of the same over to complete the team’s 100. 100 completed in 15.5 overs. Bangladesh is in batting disaster, with 7 wickets for 62 runs. Another anointed Rishad Hossain is bold in the vortex of anointed Hamprez. That’s Hamprez’s first ball.

Rishad wanted to blow up. But the ball evaded the bat and went to the wicket. Rishad, who started with a 6 off his third ball, stopped for 8 runs. After Rishad’s out, Taskin came and could not survive even 2 balls. Taskin pulls a length ball on off and sweeps the slog. Caught on the boundary line. The red and green batsmen are in the procession. Bangladesh was in a batting disaster losing 7 wickets for 62 runs. Tawheed was out for 12 runsTawheed Hridyo could not hold on in the face of a batting collapse. He survived by punching the first ball. After that, he playfully gave four to six messages. But could not survive. White’s lightly turned ball was a hit with poor timing. Tector took an easy catch at midwicket.

Towhid scored 12 runs off 10 balls. Bangladesh is losing 5 wickets for 47 runs. Shamim Patwari and Abhishek Rishad at the crease. Shakib in the procession of wickets, batting collapse in power playShakib Al Hasan joined the procession of wickets. Cut Adair to the point and returned to Sajghar after a great four. He was caught at mid-wicket while pulling. He returned to Sajghar with 6 runs in 1 four and 6 balls. Bangladesh’s batting collapsed in the power play. Lost 4 wickets for just 41 runs. However, the red and green team made a record run in the power play in the first T20. The hosts collapsed as two openers failed. Ronnie after Liton-Shantar!Ronnie now! Bangladesh did not start as well as in the previous two matches. Lost 3 wickets for 24 runs. Ronnie was still looking good after the Lytton-Shantar farewell. But could not extend the innings. Ronnie bowled Camper’s quicker to Adair at deep midwicket. He scored 14 runs off 3 fours and 10 balls. Shant couldn’t handle it.

After Litton’s departure, Shanto came to the crease. But he could not spend even one over. He was caught at deep midwicket by Camper in a slog sweep on the last ball of the third over. Shanto scored 4 runs off 8 balls. Litton is out on a bad ball

Liton Das returned to the dressing room with the first ball of the second over. Liton was out for a bad ball. Lytton played Adair’s ball outside off at the deep point. The timing was not right, the ball went into Dockrell’s hands. Liton, who started with a four off the first ball, stopped at 5 runs.