I couldn’t lead the team perfectly and that's why I couldn’t bring the best out of them: Mahmudullah

Bangladesh went into the T20 World Cup having won three series on the trot. They had the most experienced squad in the tournament. The confidence was high. The stage was set for Bangladesh to bury the bad memories of previous editions and finally have a successful campaign.

But everything fell apart as soon as the tournament began. Bangladesh lost to Scotland in their opening game from a winnable position. They bounced back pretty decently by winning the next two matches and qualified for the Super 12s. Bangladesh could've won at least two matches but had to finish the main round without a single win, again. 

There has been a lot of speculation regarding Bangladesh's horrendous World Cup campaign on social media. 

After Bangladesh's win against Oman in the first round, Mahmudullah expressed his dissatisfaction over the criticism in the media. 

In the press conference today, the Bangladesh skipper said that emotions got the better of him that day.

"Probably I was emotional after the Oman match and that was the reason why I reacted that way," Mahmudullah said.

"We've been playing cricket for the last 4-5 months without much break. We have been away from families and you know bio-bubble takes a toll on mental health. These aren't excuses but we have to keep that in mind. I remember, I played the DPL staying in the bubble for 26 days. After a two-day break, we headed to Zimbabwe. We entered the bio-bubble on our return to the country to play Australia. We got a one-week break after that series. Probably we wouldn't get the break if the England series took place. I think because of the bubble fatigue, a lot of players struggle," he added.

Mahmudullah said that they have to accept the criticism if they don't do well. "I never said that we shouldn't be criticised. We have to accept it when we don't play well. But it should be constructive and based on valid points."

The veteran cricketer stated that the board would decide whether he would continue to lead the side or not in T20Is. 

He mentioned, "It's (captaincy) not in my hands. The board will take the decision. I have always tried to look after the team well. Probably I couldn't do that perfectly and that's why I couldn't bring the best out of the team."

A lot of people including former captain Mashrafe Mortaza questioned the competence of the coaching staff led by Russell Domingo. 

When asked about that, Mahmudullah said, "I don't see any problem or tension between the players and coaching staff. Again, it's the board that has the authority to decide."

"Different coaches have different philosophies. For example, (Chandika) Hathurusingha used to scold us a bit to keep things calm inside the dressing room. As I said, every coach has his own way of doing things and I shouldn't comment on that," he added.

Mahmudullah was asked whether he is thinking of retiring from the shortest format. "No, I am not thinking about retirement right now," replied the Bangladesh captain.