Shakib Al Hasan backs Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim to live up to the expectations

A glance at Mahmudullah and Rahim’s current form

Both the players have been struggling with the runs lately. Asia Cup will be crucial for Mahmudullah and Rahim as it will decide their future with the team for the T20 World Cup, scheduled in Australia in October. Mahmudullah played just T20 International against Zimbabwe and ended up with a score of 47 runs.

Rahim, on the other hand, was rested for the tour and will be making a comeback in the Asia Cup as the first-choice wicketkeeper. Notably, owing to his terrible form, Mahmudullah was also sacked as the Bangladeshi T20I skipper. He lost the captaincy to Nurul Hasan in July who in turn made way for Shakib.

Shakib to not give any advice to the two players

Meanwhile, Shakib is not much worried about the form of its two star players. The captain believes that both Mahmudullah and Rahim have a lot of international experience and they know what the team expects from them. The all-rounder wants the two players to come around on their own.

During the press conference, Shakib mentioned,

“Both of them are a very important part of this system. They are aware of it. They know what their responsibilities are, and what their challenges are. They know exactly what situation they are in. I have nothing different to say here. We also know what we expect from them, as I said - they are a very important part of the team.”

Further, the captain also discussed the potential playing XI for the T20 event. The Tigers will be missing the services of Hasan Mahmud and Nurul Hasan due to injuries. Though there is a selection headache, the all-rounder has decided to introspect and take the final just a day or two before the match.

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