Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad, who has been suffering from several injuries, will take the field against India on July 2 even if he is not fully fit, said Tigers team manager Khaled Mahmud, reports UNB.
Mahmudullah has not been bowling in the World Cup due to a shoulder injury but has been doing well with the bat. The all-rounder sustained a blow to his calf muscle in the last match against Afghanistan.
Mahmud hoped that Mahmudullah will take the field in a must-win game against India. If Bangladesh can win that match, their route to the semifinals will get a further boost.
“The possibility of Mahmudullah’s participation is 50-50. We can’t say whether he’ll play or not at this moment. But I think he’ll take the field if he is slightly fit because he’s an important weapon of Bangladesh set-up. We’ll be monitoring his fitness in the coming days before the next game. I hope he’ll be fine before the match,” Mahmud told the reporters.
Earlier, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza expressed similar views on Mahmudullah’s participation in the next game on July 2. At the end of the last match against Afghanistan, Mashrafe said that Mahmudullah might play the next match if he feels slightly better.
In the five matches of the World Cup, Mahmudullah scored 190 runs batting at the lower middle-order. He hit a fifty against Australia while making a 127-run stand in the fifth wicket with Mushfiqur Rahim who ended up hitting his first ton in the World Cup.
Bangladesh are now on the cliff’s edge. They are at number five in the points table and their chance to qualify for the semis is tough. Tigers need to beat India and Pakistan in their next two games.