Mahmudullah announced his retirement from T20I cricket, effective at the end of Bangladesh’s current series in India. The 38-year-old revealed his decision during a press conference before the second T20I in Delhi. He shared that he had informed key figures in Bangladesh cricket, including coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, and board president Faruque Ahmed, and will now focus solely on ODI cricket with the upcoming World Cup in mind.
Mahmudullah’s decision comes after a T20I career spanning 139 matches, making him the fourth-most capped player in the format’s history, just behind Rohit Sharma, Paul Stirling, and George Dockrell. He also retires as Bangladesh’s second-highest T20I run-scorer, trailing only Shakib Al Hasan. Notably, he holds the distinction of having played in the most defeats in T20Is and became Bangladesh’s oldest player in the format earlier this year.
The former captain had previously retired from Test cricket during a match against Zimbabwe in 2021. Although he faced a downturn in his T20I career, missing 27 matches between 2022 and 2023, Mahmudullah returned earlier this year with a 54 against Sri Lanka. However, his T20 World Cup campaign was underwhelming, and he scored just 1 in the first T20I against India.
Mahmudullah will be remembered for his transformation into a finisher. In 2016, during a training camp before the T20 World Cup, he adjusted his batting style to suit the role, which saw him improve his strike rate. His finest T20I moment came in 2018 when he played a match-winning knock of 43* off 18 balls against Sri Lanka, securing Bangladesh’s spot in the Nidahas Trophy final amidst high drama.
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