'No Joke That A Guy Has Been The Number One All-Rounder For The Last 10-12 Years': Mahmudullah Riyad Heaps Praises On His Teammate

Bangladesh veteran all-rounder Mahmudullah Riyad has been with the national team for the best part of the decade. Mahmudullah Riyad might not have scored heaps of runs or picked up plenty of wickets; however, the spin-bowling all-rounder has done a respectable job. Moreover, he has named his fellow countryman, Shakib Al Hasan, as the number one all-rounder for the last 10-12 years and backs him to arrest his rough patch.

Though Shakib Al Hasan has struggled in the ongoing ODI series against Sri Lanka, he has been the poster boy of the Bangladesh team. The spin-bowling all-rounder’s compelling performances across all facets have enabled the Tigers to go toe-to-toe with the other top-notch international sides in the world. The southpaw has set quite a few records since his debut in 2006, including being the youngest centurion in ODIs, youngest ODI captain – both at the age of 22.

But Shakib Al Hasan, the number 5 and number 1 in all-rounder’s rankings in Test and ODIs, respectively, has not been at his best since returning from a two-year ban in international cricket. Before his ban in October 2019 for not reporting corrupt approaches, the left-handed batsman set the 2019 World Cup on fire by making 606 runs in eight matches at 86.57. The 34-year old was dropped after scoring only 38 runs in three games and picking up two scalps for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2021. Shakib has also made scores of 15 and 0 in the first two ODIs against Sri Lanka.

There is not much to say about Shakib: Mahmudullah Riyad

Mahmudullah Riyad claimed that there is hardly anything to say about Shakib Al Hasan, who he thinks has been the number one all-rounder for the past 10-12 years. Mahmudullah believes that Shakib knows how much to practice batting and said that he got a promising start in the first ODI. But he is confident that the veteran will bring his A-game in the third ODI on Friday.

“There is not much to say about Shakib. He knows his game. It is no joke that a guy has been the number one [ODI] all-rounder for the last 10-12 years. He knows when to bat and how much batting [practice] will benefit him. He got a good start in the first ODI, but unfortunately, he could not cash in on it. But I am certain that he will play better in tomorrow’s game,” Riyad said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

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