After Bangladesh’s current bilateral series in India concludes, Mahmudullah will step down from T20Is. On Tuesday’s eve of the second game in Delhi, he announced at a press conference. Mahmudullah, 38, claimed he would still play in One-Day Internationals and communicated his decision to the appropriate individuals in Bangladeshi cricket.
“I’m calling it quits on Twenty20 cricket after this series’ final match. I made my decision in advance of coming here,” Mahmudullah declared. “I spoke with my family earlier.
I also had conversations with Faruque Ahmed, the board president, Gazi Ashraf Hossain, Najmul Hossain Shanto, the coach, and the top selector. For me and the team, I believe the time has come to move on from this format. especially considering that in less than two years is the World Cup. I’m going to focus on the single-day game.”
Mahmudullah had withdrawn from Test cricket three years prior during a match against Zimbabwe. His white-ball career took a slight turn for the worse when he was benched from the T20I team for two years, missing 27 games in 2022 and 2023.
Before falling for 1 in the opening T20I against India in Gwalior, he had a lacklustre performance at the T20 World Cup. However, he returned to T20Is earlier this year, scoring 54 against Sri Lanka.
Mahmudullah, a former team captain, will retire, having earned the third-most T20I caps in history. After two more games, he will tie George Dockrell at 141 matches played.
He has already played 139 games. In the format, he is also Bangladesh’s second-highest run-scorer, after only Shakib Al Hasan. Mahmudullah is Bangladesh’s oldest T20I player and has participated in the most losses in this format. This year, he turned forty.
Mahmudullah’s development into a big hitter over ten years after his debut will be recognized in his T20I career. Hathurusinghe had assigned him the position of finisher at the beginning of 2016. He accepted the challenge and expanded his skill set of aerial shots.
“India hosted the T20 World Cup back in 2016.” We had a training camp in Khulna before that. After that camp, I adjusted my batting strategy,” Mahmudullah remarked.
It was a challenging location to bat. You couldn’t always win the game. Instead of focusing on the ones you were there for, people would typically draw attention to the ones you didn’t finish. However, it is an inherent aspect of this game.”
Over the next few years, he improved his strike rate, and in 2018, he had his best T20 knock. Bangladesh reached the Nidahas Trophy final thanks to his unbeaten 43 off 18 balls against Sri Lanka.
The match was marred by an umpiring controversy, which almost caused the Bangladeshi innings to be called off at one point by then-captain Shakib.
Despite everything, Mahmudullah maintained his composure to win the match off the penultimate ball when he lashed Isuru Udana for a six during the final over of an already frantic chase.
Mahmudullah described the innings as a “highlight” of his career and stated that the most “frustrating moment” was Bangladesh’s loss to India in the 2016 T20 World Cup match in Bengaluru. Despite not winning a significant trophy throughout his T20I career, he claimed that Bangladesh had improved in the 17 years since his debut.
The circumstances have changed significantly since my 2007 debut. It is not solely because of the “five Pandavas” (poncho pandob), which refers to the grouping of Shakib, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, and Mashrafe Mortaza in the Mahabharata. This transformation in Bangladeshi cricket is the result of the efforts of all the players, coaches, and team managers involved.”
Mahmudullah stated that he could be replaced as the finisher by several players in Bangladesh but that it was a batting position that needed time and encouragement from the captain and coach.
“Jaker Ali, Shamim [Hossain], Afif [Hossin] and Yasir Ali can be good choices at No. 6 or 7,” he stated. “In T20Is, batting there is complex. You must possess courage.
You are unable to consider failing. You must go out there and strike the ball with all your might. The hitter in that position needs the support of the coach and captain.
