Shanto hopes younger players step up to honour Shakib and Mahmudullah in T20 World Cup

Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto anticipated that the younger players will do well in the next T20 World Cup in the United States and the Caribbean to honour two veterans, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah Riyad, respectively.

There is conjecture that this will be either cricketer's final World Cup debut in a Bangladesh shirt, with Mahmudullah merely returning to the squad after being omitted in the previous edition. Shakib, on the other hand, is the longest-serving player still active, alongside India's Rohit Sharma, who will play their ninth World Cup in the format.

When asked what to expect from the two players in this World Cup during a pre-departure press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Shanto on Wednesday said: 

"I don't know if it will be the last World Cup for them (Mahmudullah and Shakib), this is just a perception. But the young players like us will definitely want to give them some good memories since they have played for so long. This is definitely a responsibility of the young players."

Shakib and Mahmudullah are both in the twilight of their careers, at 37 and 38, respectively. They are part of Bangladesh cricket's Fab Five, with two other members retiring from the format and another undecided about his future with the national team. If this is the final World Cup for the aforementioned two, Shanto wants one thing from them:

"We don't demand anything extra from Shakib bhai and Riyad bhai. If they perform as per their roles, team will definitely be benefitted. What we will want is that they spread their experience among the other players so that the small improvements can be made," the Bangladesh captain said.