Bangladesh head coach Russell Domingo has on Sunday (January 19) backed Mahmudullah to lead the Tigers in T20Is, saying he doesn’t want too many changes in the team and captaincy as well ahead of the T20 World Cup 2020 in Australia.
Mahmudullah was handed the captaincy in a hurry after Shakib Al Hasan was banned by the ICC last year in October and now he is set for his next assignment as T20I captain in Pakistan after leading Bangladesh in a challenging T20I series last year in India.
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As the all-rounder set to lead Bangladesh in the three-match T20I series against Pakistan starting Friday (January 24) in Lahore, Domingo said his "captain" has his full support, insisting he wants him to lead Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2020 later this year in Australia.
Ahead of Pakistan series, Domingo told ESPNcricinfo: “I am hoping he leads us in the World Cup T20. He has my full support. I thought he did a great job in India. I have enjoyed working with him. I think he is a good professional. He has the respect of the change room. He is a world-class player. He is my captain.”
He continued, “[Continuity with the players] depends on how they do. If a player is out of his depth, we can't keep going with him. If a player has the potential to develop, you have to run with those players. After this series, we have to keep our squad as small as possible. I think we can play with a maximum of 16 or 17 players in the next couple of series.”
The coach further hinted that some batsmen may have to bat out of position in Pakistan having picked five openers in Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mohammad Naim, Najmul Hossain Shanto and Soumya Sarkar especially because of the absence of Mushfiqur Rahim.
He explained, “Guy like Soumya, who batted No 3 in India, may end up batting at No 6 in Pakistan. [Mahmudullah] Riyad may bat at No 5. Afif might come up to No 3 or 4. The best players can play under any conditions, in any position. If you bat [Eoin] Morgan at No 3 or 6, he is successful. If you bat KW [Kane Williamson] at No 3 or 5, he will find a way to do that role.
It is a great opportunity for the young players to find new strings to their game. I am excited by it. If a guy like Liton has to bat at No 4 for a game or two, that's fine. If [Mohammad] Mithun has to bat at No 3, that's okay. If Afif has to go from No 6 to opening, he has to learn to do those things.”
Domingo signed off by saying, “It is a young group of players. It shows the depth within our system. Hopefully, some of these players can make a big play to get into the World Cup squad. It is not finalized yet.”
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)
