Bangladesh head coach Phil Simmons has openly criticized veteran cricketers Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim for their poor shot selection in the dressing room following their do-or-die encounter against New Zealand, sources confirmed Daily Sun.

New Zealand knocked out Bangladesh after handing them a five wicket loss in their second game of the group phase at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday which knocked Najmul Hossain’s side out of the ICC Champions Trophy.

Daily Sun learnt head coach Simmons addressed the team after the match in the dressing room and did not shied away from expressing his disappointment over the approach of the senior campaigners.

It has been learnt that the former West Indian opener stated reckless decisions taken by Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur at crucial moments made them pay heavily.

The criticism reportedly left some younger players baffled, as they had never seen senior players being called out so openly.

A source revealed that Simmons specifically pointed out Mushfiqur’s mistimed slog sweep with 27 overs remaining and Mahmudullah’s aggressive charge down the track with 24 overs left.

“He (Simmons) said that if they had played responsibly Bangladesh could have reached 300,” the source added.

It is understood that the criticism reportedly left some younger players baffled considering the fact they had never seen senior players being held accountable so openly.

Another insider noted that while these veterans are usually praised for their work ethic and experience, this rare public criticism caught the team off guard.

“I haven’t seen anything like it before. Usually, they are talked up as examples of excellence because of their performance and work ethic. But it was surprising to see them being called out in front of everybody,” another source said.

On Monday, Bangladesh won the toss against New Zealand and opted to bat, replacing Soumya Sarkar with Mahmudullah. The opening duo, Najmul and Tanzid Hasan Tamim, put together a solid 45-run stand, a notable improvement from their collapse against India. However, Bangladesh lost momentum in the middle overs, slipping from 97 for 2 to 118 for 5 after losing Towhid Hridoy, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mahmudullah for just 21 runs.

Kiwi off-spinner Michael Bracewell was the chief destroyer, taking 4 for 26. Surprisingly, only one of his victims, Tanzid, was a left-hander. Towhid fell attempting an expansive shot, Mushfiqur mistimed a slog sweep, and Mahmudullah’s aggressive charge resulted in a soft dismissal. Ironically, Bangladesh’s right-handers struggled against an off-spinner they were expected to dominate.

Following that mini-collapse, triggered by the two senior batters, Bangladesh never really recovered, crawling to 236 for 9. That total proved insufficient, as New Zealand chased it down in the 47th over with five wickets in hand.