Mahmudullah Riyad has come to the press conference, and he’s completely composed. He didn’t say a word for the first two questions. Still, as time went on, he spoke. Throughout the whole time, he remained confident. Even though the team has had its ups and downs, today was his day to shine.
He was dropped from the team last March. Then he returned after fighting for his place. After performing well in the first two matches of the World Cup, he faced Senchuri from South Africa. After facing defeat, he wanted to know about his exclusion from the team.
He said, “Alhamdulillah. It feels like the right time. Although I want to say many things, it’s not the right time. What I can say is that I’m playing for the team. I have contributed to the team. If I can do it for the team’s victory, it will be even better.”
He was dropped last March after the England series. At that time, it was said that he was given a break. But, even after that, he didn’t get a chance to play for the team. Then, he got back into the team through the New Zealand series just before the World Cup.
Now, in this World Cup, Riyad has batted in three matches. He remains unbeaten with 44 runs against England. Later, he brought the team within half a run, taking a break from 46 runs on 36 balls in the innings against India. He took on the challenge against South Africa, scoring 111 runs in many one-sided matches.
When asked about where he found the strength to continue, he said, “I don’t know. Maybe Allah has given me the strength to carry on. I have tried to maintain fitness and work hard. I don’t have anything else to do outside of it.”
Then came the rest provided by the selectors. Riyad said, “It felt like it was a bit too much. It’s not in my hands. It’s their (the selectors’) decision. My job is to do it with honesty if I can. That’s what I want to do.”
