Follow UsMahmudullah was at his best against South Africa in Mumbai, having registered his third World Cup century, even though that came in a losing cause. South Africa cantered home, but the way Mahmudullah batted ensured that Bangladesh could dare to dream.
However, this was not always the case. Ahead of the World Cup, Mahmudullah didn’t seem to be in the selector’s plans and was rested for close to six months before making a return for the New Zealand series. When he was asked about it, the Bangladesh middle-order batter stated that he had no idea why he was rested and probably the rest was too much for him.
"I can't say anything regarding that time (when I was out of the national team). I do want to talk about a lot of things but this is not the right time to talk about," Mahmudullah said in the post-match press conference.
"I don't know. Probably Allah has given me the strength to keep going. I tried to keep my fitness in shape. I kept working hard. That's all I can do. All I can say is that I wanted to contribute to the team. I would have liked to contribute more so that we win the game.
"I think there was a little too much rest for me. It was not in my control. It was the decision of the team management. If I can do my job honestly, it is good enough for me and the team," he said.
Mahmudullah batted at No.6 against South Africa after the side had a complete top-order failure, but he managed to stitch together a partnership to help the side reach 233 runs. The batter only got to know about his batting position a day in advance, and he was quite okay to take it up.
"I have seen a lot of ups and downs throughout my career. (Batting down the order) is fine. Yesterday, the coach told me that I was batting at No 6. I went out there and played my game. I didn't target my hundred. I was just batting. You just bat. I told Mustafiz to hold on.
“Let us stay for 50 overs as there's an issue with run rate. I just wanted to go deep and try to score some runs for the team," he said, adding that he wanted to dedicate this century to his family while thanking everyone who supported and opposed him during this critical juncture of his career.
"I would like to dedicate it to my family and those people who supported and prayed for me in the last three months. I want to thank those among you who supported me, and those who didn't support me."