'Captivated' by Sir Viv
It has been a hectic 24 hours or so for Bangladesh stand-in captain Mahmudullah Riyad. After playing his last game in the Pakistan Super League on Saturday night, he returned to Bangladesh for a couple of hours on Sunday and immediately took the flight for Sri Lanka with the team.
Bangladesh started their first training session at the P Sara Oval in Colombo and just before going for the warm up Mahmudullah was asked about his experience of spending time with and learning from one of the best batsmen of all time in West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards, who is the mentor of Mahmudullah's PSL side Quetta Gladiators.
As much as his words, it was Mahmudullah's reaction that showed how much he valued the experience; there was a kind of ecstasy as he recounted his time with the original Master Blaster.
“Viv is an extraordinary person,” Mahmudullah told The Daily Star. He added: “Despite being a huge star of the game and someone who all cricketers would want to learn from, when you talk to him you won't feel that as he is so down-to-earth and such a fun-loving person.
“He has the ability to gel with players; Viv is full of life. The biggest thing about him is his cordiality and you won't get the feeling of anything artificial whenever he speaks to you as he talks a lot and provides encouragement. I was lucky to have him in my team last year as well and to be honest I have only one thing to say: I am captivated,” said Mahmudullah, who seemed full of energy as he entered the ground for training.
