A plethora of retirements in the world of cricket usually takes place after a prestigious ICC Cricket event concludes. Mushfiqur Rahim, a 37-year-old cricketer, is a prominent face in the Bangladesh national cricket team, which featured him in his 274th ODI match against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. As a senior player in the wing of Bangladeshi cricket talents, wicket keeper batter and right-hand batsman Mushfiqur’s ODI career spanned almost two decades. An unexpected decision came out of the official announcement through an Instagram post by Mushfiqur Rahim after his side got bowled out of the Champions Trophy at the group stage.
Mushfiqur Rahim has been the backbone of the batting order in Bangladesh Team and replicated his classy performance in both white-ball and red-ball cricket formats. He holds the record for the highest ODI appearances from his country. After making a debut in ODI format in August 2006, he went on to collect 7795 runs with an average of 36.42 with 9 centuries and 49 half-centuries, marking numerous milestones while walking through his illustrious ODI career. As of now, the record for the highest ODI runs among all Bangladeshi cricketers is registered to his name, going beyond the significant mark of 7000 ODI runs.
Taking charge of the middle order, Mushfiqur Rahim did not get to bat in the first match against Zimbabwe in Harare. He transformed through 9th position with unbeaten 18 match winning runs in his first inning in Mirpur to scoring the highest 144 runs in Dubai at 4th position, while he has mostly played in the middle order. Besides scoring runs from the front of the wickets, he has been proactive behind the wickets as well, having more than 200 dismissals, including stumping and catches. As a wicket-keeper as well, he is a top-ranked player in the ODI format.
| Span | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Avg | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 0s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-2025 | 274 | 256 | 42 | 7795 | 144 | 36.42 | 9780 | 79.70 | 9 | 49 | 12 | 617 | 100 |
In a startling post on Instagram, Mushfiqur Rahim also stated, “While our achievements may have been limited on a global level, one thing is certain: whenever I stepped onto the field for my country, I gave more than 100% with dedication and honesty.” He thoroughly reflected on the past events after which this crucial decision to step back from ODIs came up. Mushfiqur Rahim has added value to the status of Bangladeshi cricket on the international stage with his records and stats proving his adaptability, dedication, and sports spirit.
