A few days ago, the BCB classified the cricketers by determining their salary structure. At that time, a prediction was made that Mahmudullah would retire. The announcement came on March 12. After Mushfiqur Rahim announced his retirement from ODIs, Mahmudullah has now announced his retirement from international cricket.
As the aftermath of Mushfiqur Rahim's retirement from ODI cricket continues, another departure has taken place in the country's cricket. This time, Mahmudullah announced his retirement. He had already quit Tests and T20s. This time, his chapter in international cricket ended with ODIs.
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| Mahmudullah |
The 39-year-old cricketer announced his decision on social media on Wednesday night. "All praise is due to Almighty Allah. I have decided to retire from international cricket."
"I would like to thank all my teammates and coaches, and special thanks to the fans, who have always been by my side." He thanked his parents and wife's family during his farewell. He expressed gratitude to his elder brother Emdad Ullah for being by his side as a 'coach and mentor' since childhood.
His farewell message also includes mention of his wife and children.
"...Finally, thank you to my wife and children, who have always been my 'support system' in any situation. I know that Raid (Mahmudullah's son) will miss me in the red-green jersey."
Mahmudullah was in great form before this year's Champions Trophy. He scored fifties in four consecutive matches. He could not play the first match in the Champions Trophy due to injury. In the second match, he came on the field and was out for 4 runs with a bad shot.
After the Champions Trophy, there were many questions about the future of Mahmudullah along with Mushfiqur. The next ODI World Cup is two and a half years away. By then, he will be close to 42. It was also reported that he had recently held talks with Nazmul Abedin, the head of the BCB's cricket management department. Last Monday, when BCB announced this year's central contract, it was reported that he himself requested the board not to keep him in the contract. His future became clear then. This official farewell is a continuation of that.
However, the farewell was not to his liking, as he said at the end of his farewell message.
"Not everything ends perfectly. But you have to say 'yes' and move forward. Peace... Alhamdulillah." "Best wishes for my team and Bangladesh cricket."
His journey in international cricket began with the ODI that he left last. He made his debut on the tour of Sri Lanka after the 2007 World Cup. He became a regular in the team in 2008. He batted most of the time at numbers six, seven and eight. He did not get much opportunity to play big innings. However, he contributed regularly. Along with effective off-spin, he became important for the balance of the team.
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| Mahmudullah |
He got the opportunity to bat up top for the first time in 2011. Right after the World Cup, he came down to number four in the last match of the three-match ODI series against Australia in Mirpur and played an unbeaten 68 runs off 61 balls. However, he was later demoted down again. At one time, he became the team's hope in the role of 'finisher'. Before the 2015 World Cup, he was brought back to number four in the series against Zimbabwe. After doing well in that series, he was kept at number four in the World Cup as well. The most memorable moment of his career came then. In the match in Adelaide that Bangladesh won to secure a quarter-final spot, he played an innings of 103 runs. That was Bangladesh's first century in the World Cup. In the next match, he scored another century against New Zealand.
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| Mahmudullah |
However, he could not stay in the batting order for a very long time. He was again sent to number six or seven. In the 2017 Champions Trophy, he scored a brilliant century against New Zealand in Cardiff amidst a disaster and made a record partnership with Shakib Al Hasan, leading the team to an unforgettable victory. By winning that match, Bangladesh qualified for the semi-finals of an ICC event for the first time. He remained an integral part of the team for many more days. However, bad times struck one day. He lost his place in the team after the series against England in 2023. He returned to the team before the World Cup that year. He was personally successful in the World Cup, which was a huge disappointment for Bangladesh. He scored 328 runs in seven innings at an average of 54.66. He scored a century against South Africa. The following year, his performance declined again. There were questions about his place. He responded with four consecutive fifties. Eventually, the journey did not take that long this time. He ended his career with 5,689 runs in 239 ODIs, four centuries and 32 fifties, at a batting average of 36.46. He took 82 wickets.
He retired from Tests in 2021 after playing 50 Tests. He ended his 141-match T20 career with a tour of India last October. This time, the international chapter ends with an ODI farewell.