Bangladesh skipper Mahmudullah Riyad vowed to hit from the first ball in the two-match T20I series against Afghanistan, reports BSS.
His comment came in the wake of the criticism regarding his batting approach in the three-match ODI series against the same team. Although Bangladesh won the series by 2-1, Mahmudullah had a series to forget as he scored just 43 runs in three matches. He only hit one boundary in the 79 ball he faced in those three matches drawing criticism.
In the first match, when the team was in trouble, Mahmudullah got dismissed after scoring only 8. Then in the second game, he was unbeaten on 6 off 7 when the team needed big hit from him. He was unbeaten on 29 off 53 balls in the third match in which he failed to hit any boundary in the time of need.
There has been wide criticism that Mahmudullah's slow approach is the reason of Bangladesh's defeat in the third game.
Ahead of the T20I series against Afghanistan, Mahmudullah was asked about his batting approach to which he replied bluntly, “I will start hitting from the first ball. I will try to hit fours and sixes."
He also stressed on to play the overs in the powerplay with a more attacking approach. Bangladesh are often criticised for not being able to take advantage of the powerplay restrictions, losing the match eventually.
Mahmudullah said their target is to get at least 40 to 45 runs from the first powerplay. "Hopefully we will be able to get out of it. With the team combination we have, we're good enough to make 40 to 45 runs in Powerplay. If we can do it we will be on the right track," he said.
"We might not get a high-flying start every game, but if we get it that' fine. As a batting unit we have to consistently get 150-160 runs every match so that we have a chance in the game against whichever opponent we play.”
“We're discussing these things within the team and working things out. Hopefully we will find a way," he added.