Mahmudullah omitted as Bangladesh look to the future for men's T20 World Cup

The experienced allrounder, who has played 121 T20Is for The Tigers, is surprisingly left out of the group along with Mahedi Hasan and Mohammad Naim

Bangladesh have rung the changes for the men's T20 World Cup and left out allrounder Mahmudullah for the tournament in Australia.

The 36-year-old, who has played 121 T20Is for The Tigers, is one of several changes from the Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates where the team failed to reach the super four stage.

Parvez Hossain Emon, Anamul Haque, Mahedi Hasan (who is on the reserve list) and Mohammad Naim also miss out while Mushfiqur Rahim has retired from T20I cricket.

Litton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Najmul Hossain Shanto are those players to benefit from defacto head coach Sridharan Sriram.

Bangladesh men's T20 World Cup squad 

Shakib Al Hasan (c), Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Afif Hossain, Mossadek Hossain, Litton Das, Yasir Ali, Nurul Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Saifuddin, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Hasan Mahmud, Najmul Hossain, Nasum Ahmed.

Reserves: Soumya Sarkar, Shoriful Islam, Rishad Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan

Sriram took over leadership of the T20 side from Russell Domingo last month and is taking the team in a different direction without Mahmudullah.

"It is never an easy conversation - he is the most-capped T20 player in Bangladesh," he said. "I have the utmost respect for him. I have to be the bad man to have the conversation. I think it went well.

"I think our cricket team needs to have a succession plan. I have always equated Mahmudullah with MS Dhoni with the role that he performs for the team. He batted at No.6 just like Dhoni has done for India. He has finished off games. Dhoni cannot go on forever and ever, right?

"You need to have a succession plan for who [next]. I think this was the right time to think of someone who can fill in Mahmudullah's big shoes. You need someone. Unless we start playing players in that role, we won't find them."

^{Sridharan Sriram is leading the T20I side until after the World Cup} (MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Chief selector Minhajul Abedin added: "Our T20 consultant has given us a one-year plan, which will take us in a different direction, and we have agreed with him.

"We haven't been doing well in T20Is. We have also had to deal with plenty of injuries in the last six months. The decision to drop Mahmudullah was taken after speaking to everyone concerned."

Having earned automatic passage to the Super 12, Bangladesh kick off their World Cup campaign against a first-round qualifier on October 24 in Hobart. They have been drawn into Group 2 alongside India, Pakistan and South Africa, with the top two progressing to the semi-finals.

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