Bangladesh skipper wants his boys to brave 'hazardous' Delhi conditions

Bangladesh's stand-in skipper Mahmudullah (right) prepares to bowl in the nets while bowling coach Daniel Vettori looks on during a training session at the Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium in New Delhi. Pic/AFP

-By Shalabh Manocha

New Delhi: At half-past five on Saturday evening, a dense smog had gathered over the Arun Jaitley Stadium because of the pollution in the Capital. During the day it was slightly better because of a light breeze that was blowing across the ground but air quality index was still in the 'hazardous' category as per Air Quality Index benchmark.

While a few Bangladesh players and coach Daniel Vettori attended the practice session with pollution masks on their faces, the present skipper of the Bangladesh T20 side Mahmudullah Riyad wants to brave these tough conditions on Sunday and focus on the task at hand.

In fact, in the past few days Delhi's air quality index isn't something he has given too much attention to because questions about teammate Shakib Al Hasan's ban have been asked more.

Mahmudullah, who just before this series was given the T20 captaincy, said that he will try to lead from the front in Shakib's absence. "Let me tell you, we loved Shakib, still love Shakib and will continue loving Shakib. And when he comes back, he will be welcomed with open arms," Mahmudullah said. "When he [Shakib] enters the dressing room, we will all give him a tight hug," added the skipper, appearing calm.

The skipper believed that the veteran Bangladesh all-rounder hasn't "committed a crime" by not reporting a bookie's approach.

Mahmudullah wants his young team to show their mettle. "It will be an opportunity for the younger guys to stand up for the team," he said.

Catch up on all the latest sports news and updates here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates