The way we have been criticised is not good for us: Mahmudullah

Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah Riyad was visibly bothered by the number of difficult questions from the journalists in the post-match press conference after Bangladesh defeated Papua New Guinea by 84 runs and qualified for the Super 12s.

Bangladesh were at one point looking to bundle PNG out for under 50 runs when they were 29-7, but from there, they ended up letting their opponents score 97. 

"It's normal for me to act cold. Constructive criticism is good but the way we have been criticised in the media for the last few days is not good at all for us. We are humans too. Yes, we have made mistakes. But that doesn't mean we deserve this much criticism. While playing, we always keep in mind that we have the whole country behind us and we are playing for this huge population. I think no one other than us feels and owns the team more. It's not the right thing to belittle our efforts all the time." 

"All the outside noise, criticism in the media- everything touches our emotions. We are humans. Our families sit in front of the TV sets and eagerly wait for us to perform. A lot of questions have arisen about the strike rate of three senior players. It's not that we aren't trying. We want you to criticise us when we don't play well. But it's not healthy to belittle someone while criticising. We take painkillers and play for the country. We always try our best."

Bangladesh who are currently top of their group could end up in second place if Scotland beat Oman in the second match of the day at the same venue, Al Amerat but Mahmudullah is not too bothered by that. 

"We are not worrying too much about which group we will eventually be in. Yes, Group 1 has teams relying on power hitters and we will have to face them if we finish as group runner-ups. But we aren't bothered about that."

The captain believes that the team is in a better mental state after the initial setback where they lost against Scotland. 

"In T20s, there will be ups and downs. You cannot play well every day. Sometimes it won't go your way. The wins here have settled our nerves. As a team, it is a challenge to overcome the mental barrier and we are in a good position now after the wins."

The right-hander who was the top-scorer in the innings with a 50 from 28 balls believes the team was committed to putting up a better showing and feels the team will do better in the Super 12s.

"Everyone showed a hundred percent commitment. I believe we had not been at our best in the last few matches. So everyone was committed and determined to put on a good performance."
"In T20s, every team has the potential to do well. One big over or a flash on individual brilliance can make a huge difference. I hope we will be able to play to our potential in the Super 12s. Everyone on the team is keen to perform. We may have made mistakes but we will look to leave the past behind."

The form of Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman have been areas of concern for the team but Mahmudullah is backing them to come good: "We are not worried about anyone's form. We are backing Mushfiqur and Mustafizur. Saifuddin has done well in the slog overs. Mahedi Hasan bowled well. Naim has batted well in the previous match. These are positive signs."