Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah ruled out of 3rd T20I against New Zealand
Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah has been ruled out of the third T20I against New Zealand due to a thigh strain. Liton Das will lead the visitors in the final game of the series.
New Zealand have wrapped up the series after beating Bangladesh by 28 runs (via DLS) to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match affair.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board released a statement about Mahmudullah's injury ahead of the third T20I:
"Bangladesh ODI captain Mahmudullah has been ruled out of today’s last T20 international against New Zealand at Eden Park, Auckland, due to a strained left thigh. He sustained the injury during the second T20 in Napier. Litton Kumar Das will captain Bangladesh in today’s match."
Mahmudullah had a decent outing with the bat in the second T20I, scoring a quickfire 21 off 12 balls after Bangladesh were asked to chase 171 in 16 overs. In the first game, the captain could only manage 12 off nine balls before being cleaned up by Ish Sodhi.
Bangladesh have had a forgettable tour so far, as they were whitewashed in the ODI series before the T20I contest. More than the defeats, the nature of the losses should concern the visitors, as they failed to put up a fight in most of the games.
Bangladesh's dismal record against New Zealand in T20Is
The Asian side is still searching for their first win against New Zealand in the shortest format of the game, with Bangladesh losing all nine matches.
Bangladesh started off well in the second T20I on Tuesday. They reached to 80-1 after eight overs, thanks to some blistering stroke-play from Soumya Sarkar. However, the Tigers faltered in the second half of their chase, losing wickets in bulk, to eventually finish at 142-7 after 16 overs.
With the series lost, the visitors will be keen to end their tour on a high by winning the final T20I.