T20 World Cup 2021: Mahmudullah Ruled Out Of Bangladesh's First Warm-Up Game Due To Back Pain

Bangladesh T20I skipper Mahmudullah has been ruled out of the team’s first warm-up game ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021. The experienced batsman complained of slight back pain, following which he was recommended a couple of days of rest.

National team selector, Habibul Bashar, confirmed the news on Monday. Bangladesh will face Sri Lanka in their first warm-up game on Tuesday. Mahmudullah’s exclusion is on a precautionary basis, and should return for their next game.

“Mahmudullah has a slight back pain. He won’t have time to rest during the tournament when there will be back-to-back matches. So we are not taking any risks now.”

“He will not play tomorrow’s match; we will give him a bit of time. He is a seasoned player, so he can recover with a bit of rest, and prepare for the tournament,” Bashar was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.

“Spinners won’t get much turn, there’s considerable dew in the evenings in Oman” – Habibul Bashar

The selector further revealed that the playing conditions in Oman are quite favourable to the batsmen. Although there is a bit of purchase for the bowlers on the surfaces, the dew factor will play a role, as per Bashar.

“The wickets are fresh in Oman. It hasn’t held a lot of matches. They are true wickets. The bowlers get a good purchase, and it is good for batting. Spinners won’t get much turn. There’s considerable dew in the evenings, so that was also important information for us,” Bashar added.

Bangladesh begins its T20 World Cup campaign on October 17 against Scotland. All the qualifier matches will take place in Oman. The top two from Group 1 and Group 2 will make it to the Super-12 stage.

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