cricket
After declaring on social media on Wednesday that he was retiring from ODIs, Mahmudullah has ended his international career. Mahmudullah has already retired from Test matches in 2021 and Twenty20 Internationals in 2024, and he turned 39 last month.
All glory belongs to Allah Ta'ala. On his official Facebook page, Mahmudullah posted, "I have made the decision to retire from international cricket. I want to express my gratitude to my coaches, teammates, and most importantly, my supporters, who have always stood by me. A special thanks goes out to my parents, in-laws, father-in-law, and most importantly, my brother Emdad Ullah, who has been my coach and mentor since I was a young child.
Lastly, I would like to express my gratitude to my wife and children, who have always been there for me. In my red and green shirt, I'm sure Raeid will miss me. Even though things don't always finish perfectly, you accept it and go on. Peace, thank God. Warmest regards to Bangladesh cricket and my team.
After Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, and Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah finishes as the fourth-highest run scorer in Bangladesh with 5689 runs at an average of 36.46, which includes four hundreds and thirty-two fifties. He announced his retirement from ODIs one week after his brother-in-law and longtime teammate Mushfiqur did the same.
When the BCB announced in a press release on Monday that Mahmudullah had asked the board to exclude him from the central contracts list after February 2025, it was interpreted as an indication that he would soon retire.
Mahmudullah's hundreds all occurred in ICC competitions. He struck an undefeated 102 against New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy in Cardiff, following two hundreds in the 2015 ODI World Cup. He most recently scored 111 against South Africa in Mumbai during the 2023 ODI World Cup in India.
Following Bangladesh's early elimination from the 2025 Champions Trophy, Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur announced their retirements from ODI cricket. Mahmudullah just played one inning against New Zealand in Rawalpindi, scoring four runs off of fourteen balls. However, Mahmudullah was in outstanding form before to the competition, having amassed four consecutive ODI fifties away from home against Afghanistan and the West Indies late last year.
In 2007, Mahmudullah made his ODI debut as a utility player who bowled offspin and batted primarily at No. 7. In the 2011 World Cup match against England, he scored an unbeaten 58 for the ninth wicket alongside Shafiul Islam to lead Bangladesh to a two-wicket victory. This was his first pivotal moment. His undefeated fifties helped Bangladesh defeat the West Indies 3-2 in the ODI series the following year.
Mahmudullah had even greater success in the 2015 World Cup, as he batted at No. 3 and hit consecutive hundreds against England and New Zealand. An unforgettable innings in Bangladeshi cricket history was his century in a 223-run partnership with Shakib against New Zealand during the 2017 Champions Trophy.
After being left off the team, Mahmudullah returned before the 2023 World Cup. He demonstrated his worth with the ball as well, claiming 82 wickets at a 5.21 economy rate. Mahmudullah captained Bangladesh in Test and Twenty20 international cricket, although he never led them in ODIs.
Bangladesh's most successful quintet of white-ball cricket players, who competed from 2006 to 2025, will come to an end with Mahmudullah's retirement.
Earlier this year, Tamim reaffirmed his retirement from international cricket, joining Mahmudullah in doing so. In addition to declaring last year that the Champions Trophy would be his final ODI assignment, Shakib also declared his retirement from Test and T20I cricket in India. His ODI career now appears to be over as well, since he missed the tournament for a variety of reasons.
Mashrafe Mortaza retired from leadership and played in his final ODI in 2020. Mushfiqur is on track to become the first cricketer from Bangladesh to attain the 100-test milestone, despite having retired from ODI and T20I play.