With no disrespect to Bangladesh cricket as this is the case with any cricketing nation in its nascent stage, Khaled Mahmud was far from world class quality, but he was one of the best to play for Bangladesh in the period during which he represented the country.
This led Mahmud to become Bangladesh's 3rd Test captain. The committed all-rounder was born on July 26, 1971 and went on to be a part of some of the most iconic matches in the history of Bangladesh cricket.
He was part of Bangladesh's upset against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup and the team's one-wicket loss against the Men in Green in the third Test of the Bangladesh tour of Pakistan at Multan towards the beginning of Bangladesh's journey in Test cricket.
Mahmud became Bangladesh's third Test captain and took over the reins of the side from Khaled Mahmud at the time when Dav Whatmore was appointed the coach and had the task of taking Bangladesh cricket to new heights.
Mahmud led Bangladesh in 9 Test matches and 15 ODIs at a time when Bangladesh hardly won, but ensured that they did give the opposition a run for their money every time they took the field.
The all-rounder scored 991 ODI runs from 77 matches at 14.36 and also picked up 67 wickets at 42.76. He pilfered 266 runs from 12 Test matches at an average of 12.09 to go along with 13 wickets at 64. These stats may not seem extraordinary, but Mahmud did contribute a lot more than that to the team.
When Bangladesh registered a historic win against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup, Mahmud was the Man of the Match. After scoring an important 27 with the bat, the all-rounder got the better of the explosive Shahid Afridi, Pakistan's best batter Inzamam-ul-Haq and seasoned hand Saleem Malik.
In the team's hard-fought Test defeat against Pakistan at Multan as well, Mahmud made a crucial 29 in the first innings before returning to pick up four wickets, dismissing openers Mohammad Hafeez and Salman Butt. He also got the scalps of both Inzamam-ul-Haq and Younis Khan - something any international bowler would cherish.
After his playing days, Mahmud became a successful coach. He became Bangladesh's (temporary) coach in 2019, and did a fine job in the Bangladesh Premier League. The all-rounder then oversaw Bangladesh's first-ever World Cup victory in the form of the 2020 under 19 World Cup.
