Mahmudullah Riyad, Bangladesh batsman, World Cup 2019 Player Full Profile: Middle-order mainstay will look to live up to finisher tag

Mahmudullah Riyad started his career as a bowling all-rounder but gradually became a batsman who can bowl some part-time off-spin. These days he hardly bowls in international cricket due to injury concerns. A dependable middle-order batsman, Mahmudullah is currently one of the mainstays of Bangladesh batting across formats. He is also being considered as their future all-format captain in the waiting. [caption id=“attachment_4393779” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Mahmudullah. Image credit: Twitter/@ICC[/caption] Mahmudullah made his international debut in 2007 and it took two more years for him to graduate to the Test level. However, in 2010 Mahmudullah first grabbed the limelight at the international arena in his fifth Test, when batting at No 8 he scored his maiden Test ton against a fierce New Zealand attack on a challenging wicket in Hamilton. That particular knock earned him a lot of respect in the Bangladesh cricket fraternity as well as a promotion in the batting order across all three formats. In the 2011 World Cup at home, Mahmudullah played the role of a finisher in the batting order. And during that famous triumph against England in Chittagong, he shared a vital partnership with Shafiul Islam to help his team to cross the finish line from a difficult situation. In the 2015, Mahmudullah become the first Bangladesh cricketer to score a hundred in the World Cup. His elegant 103 against England at the Adelaide Oval helped his team to reach the knockout stage for the first time in this pinnacle event. He then backed it up with an unbeaten 128 against the co-hosts New Zealand in the next game. But that particular innings came in a losing cause. Overall, in the entire tournament he scored 365 runs in seven innings and played a major role in Bangladesh’s most successful campaign in the history of World Cup. Currently, going into the 2019 World Cup, he averages 33 in ODIs. In limited-over formats, Mahmudullah is considered as Bangladesh’s best finisher. Of late, he has shown some terrific composure under pressure and took his team home on multiple occasions. Hence, in the coming World Cup, batting at No 5 or 6 he is expected to do the same job. For all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here