Mahmudullah set to be axed from BD Test side

DHAKA: Bangladesh middle-order batsman Mahmudullah's Test career is set to come to a halt, at least for the time being, as the team management has asked him to re-think his future in longer-version cricket, shortly after the opening Test against Pakistan.

It has learnt that head coach Russell Domingo initiated the move to inform the 34-year-old that he isn't part of their Test plans for the immediate future. Mahmudullah, the former Test skipper, is likely to be axed from the squad for the upcoming one-off Test against Zimbabwe scheduled from February 22. Mahmudullah, who is also the T20I captain, has been asked to focus on the limited-overs formats. In his last 10 Test innings, Mahmudullah has scored only one half century, an innings of 67 against New Zealand in Wellington in March 2019.

Bangladesh are struggling in Test cricket for quite some time, suffering yet another humiliating defeat in the Rawalpindi Test where they were humbled by an innings and 44 runs by Pakistan. Mahmudullah's 25 runs in the first innings and a golden duck in the second innings didn't do his cause any good. In the first Test against Pakistan, Mahmudullah was the hat-trick victim of 16-year-old Pakistan pacer Naseem Shah, with his mode of dismissal - fishing after a wide delivery to get an outside edge - not impressing the Bangladesh management.