Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah announces his T20I retirement

The Bangladesh Tour of India seems to be proving a pivotal mark in the Bangladeshi cricket unit. Right ahead of the start of the second India vs Bangladesh Test in Kanpur, all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan announced his retirement from the longest format. The home series against South Africa, if successfully goes underway in a politically-unstable Bangladesh will be Shakib’s last feature in red-ball cricket for the team. Now, as Bangladesh is facing India in a three-match T20I series, ace all-rounder Mahmudullah has expressed his decision to hang his boots. The final India vs Bangladesh match will be Mahmudullah’s last T20I.

Mahmudullah announces his T20I retirement following India vs Bangladesh series

The 38-year-old Bangladeshi all-rounder on Tuesday announced that the India vs Bangladesh series will be his last T20I assignment for the team. Mahmudullah made his T20I debut back in 2007 against Kenya. Starting from 2007, Mahmudullah’s T20I run has lasted 17 years and 35 days. Consequently, the veteran’s T20I career is recorded as the third longest, behind his teammate Shakib Al Hasan and Zimbabwe’s Sean Williams. Over the course of his T20I career, Mahmudullah has accumulated 2,395 runs at a strike-rate of 117.74 and taken 40 wickets in 139 matches.

Though Mahmudullah stepped away from Test cricket in 2021, he remains active in the ODI format. Moreover, the batter’s presence remains vital in the 50-over format as proven by his stats in the last ODI World Cup. Mahmudullah wrapped up the 2023 ICC Men’s ODI World Cup as the highest run-getter for Bangladesh as scored 328 runs in the tournament that transpired in India. Similarly to Shakib Al Hasan, who concluded his T20I career ahead of the start of India vs Bangladesh T20I series, Mahmudullah also marked his exit in the same tournament. The 38-year-old all-rounder said that he had planned to retire after the India series to focus more on ODIs. His decision comes ahead of Bangladesh's three-match ODI series in the West Indies in December and the 2025 Champions Trophy.

"I had already made up my mind before this series," Mahmudullah explained. "I spoke with the captain, coach, and informed the BCB president. Now feels like the right time to step away from T20Is and put my energy into ODIs."

Looking back on his career, he described the 2016 T20 World Cup loss to India as his most difficult moment and highlighted his match-winning performance in the 2018 Nidahas Trophy as the most memorable. In that game, Mahmudullah's quickfire 43 off 18 deliveries helped Bangladesh defeat Sri Lanka and reach the final, although they eventually lost.

"My most frustrating moment was the defeat to India in the 2016 World Cup in Bengaluru. It was a pivotal experience for me. The best memory has to be the Nidahas Trophy."