An allrounder who bowls tidy offspin and bats in the middle order, Mahmudullah has spent the last three years figuring out how fickle form can be. In late 2012, he was the star who derailed West Indies to their first ODI series defeat in Bangladesh, and was a step away from captaincy. A poor season later, his place was continually questioned and he was even dropped for the 2014 Asia Cup. After another five months, Mahmudullah finally found form and became an automatic choice.

Born in Mymensingh, a district located 115km to the north of Dhaka, Mahmudullah learned his game in his hometown before coming to the capital to take part in the ACC U15 tournament in 2000. He played in the 2004 U19 World Cup at home, and the following year made his first-class debut for Bangladesh A. He also spent part of that year in the MCC Young Cricketers and became a regular club and first-class cricketer back home in the 2005-06 season.

He made his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in 2007 and was labeled a limited-overs specialist for some time and he delivered in short bursts, hardly setting the world on fire. But his eight-wicket haul on Test debut (including a five-for in the second innings) against West Indies in 2009 spurred him on as he suddenly averaged 193 with the bat in the ODI tri-series against India and Sri Lanka later that year.

It got better as he slammed his one and only international hundred, in a one-off Test against New Zealand in Hamilton. The crowd held their breath as he drove the fast bowlers imperiously through the covers, fleetingly drawing comparisons with India's VVS Laxman. His most telling contribution so far has been the 159 runs he made against West Indies in the home ODI series in 2012. He was holding the innings together as well as playing the match-winning role. The next two years were a struggle, but after a reasonable performance against Zimbabwe in the 2014 winter, he confirmed his place in the 2015 World Cup squad.
Mohammad Isam