Former Bangladesh captain Mahmudullah has officially declared his retirement from T20 internationals. Bangladesh’s cricket team is on tour to India and are trailing in the T20 series 1-0, and this decision from Mahmudullah will affect Bangladesh team for the future journey. The 38-year-old made the announcement during a press conference ahead of the second T20I in Delhi. Mahmudullah has made this decision after long consultation with his family and the team management.
Mahmudullah stated “I have decided to retire from T20I cricket after this series. It was a premeditated choice, and I discussed it with my family, the coach, the captain, the chief selector, and the board president. I believe it’s the right time to step away from this format, especially with the World Cup approaching in less than two years. I want to focus on ODIs moving forward.”
After Shakib Al Hasan’s retirement, Mahmudullah along with Mushfiqur Rahim were the only senior players in the team, Bangladeshi team was on their rebuilding phase but this news has made things difficult for Bangladesh Cricket Team. Having already retired from Test cricket in 2021, Mahmudullah’s T20I career has spanned over 17 years, during which he has played 139 matches and scored 2,395 runs. He is the second highest run-scorer in T20Is for Bangladesh, just behind Shakib Al Hasan.
Mahmudullah has been an important part of Bangladesh’s success in shorter format, his role as a finisher was iconic during the 2016 T20 World Cup. Reflecting on his career, Mahmudullah acknowledged the challenges of the finisher’s role. “People tend to remember the times you don’t finish the game, rather than the times you do. It’s all part of the game,” he remarked.
Mahmudullah T20I Stats
Format | M | Inn | B | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBM | Econ | Avg | SR | 5W | 10W |
T20I | 139 | 78 | 932 | 1094 | 40 | 3/10 | 3/10 | 7.04 | 27.35 | 23.3 | 0 | 0 |
After his retirement from T20 cricket, Mahmudullah is eager to commit every aspect of his game to the ODI format and is expected to contribute to his national side during the upcoming 2025 Champions Trophy. Mahmudullah’s 103 runs against England in ODI during the ICC World Cup 2015 was one of his most inspiring innings for Bangladesh.
His best score in T20 was against West Indies back in 2012 but he has been the most destructive finisher for Bangladesh in T20I. Mahmudullah’s legacy can be defined by one of his best records of 66 innings without a duck.