Mahmudullah retires from int’l cricket

Bangladesh's 39-year-old veteran Mahmudullah Riyad, who had earlier withdrawn himself from Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB's) central contracts for this year, ended all speculation regarding his international career by announcing his retirement yesterday.

Mahmudullah, who had played a pivotal role for many years down the order in the Tigers' setup, played his last game against New Zealand in the ICC Champions Trophy. Having earlier ended his Test and T20I career, Mahmudullah took his final bow from ODIs yesterday.

"All praises only for the Almighty Allah. I have decided to retire from international cricket. I would like to thank all of my teammates, coaches and specially my fans who have always supported me. A big thank you to my parents, my in laws, especially my father in law and most importantly my brother Emdad Ullah who has been there for me constantly since my childhood as my coach and mentor," the veteran posted on Facebook.

Mahmudullah remained a key player over the years for the Tigers and was part of the 'Big Five' of Bangladesh cricket alongside Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Mushfiqur Rahim.

Mahmudullah now joins Tamim, who had announced his retirement from international cricket in January, in the sidelines. Mashrafe, who has not played for Bangladesh for over five years, has still not officially retired from ODIs but the 41-year-old's international career is realistically over.

Meanwhile, Shakib's international career remains in limbo, having earlier expressed his desire to play ODIs till the Champions Trophy but not getting selected in the squad. He was also unable to play his farewell Test at home against South Africa in last year's October and chances of him being a part of the Tigers' setup in future are slim.

It means Mushfiqur, who earlier this month stepped away from ODIs, remains the last active member of the 'Big Five', having wished to continue in Tests.

Both Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur failed to impress in the recent Champions Trophy and came under criticism. Yesterday, before Mahmudullah's announcement, cricket operations chairman Nazmul Abedeen Fahim had said that the veterans realise they need to make way for upcoming stars.

"Not everything comes to an end in a perfect way but you say yes and move forward. Peace," Mahmudullah said at the end of his statement yesterday.

The veteran has lived through the many ups and downs of Bangladesh cricket, carrying the burden of some close defeats in big matches while also pulling off rescue acts many a times.

Time and again, he answered his critics with notable performances, especially in ICC events. He became Bangladesh's first centurion during the 2015 ICC World Cup with a century against England, and then repeated the feat in the following match against New Zealand. He hit another memorable ton against the Kiwis in the 2017 Champions Trophy.

Mahmudullah, who made his international debut in ODIs in 2007, brings down the curtain with 239 ODIs and 5689 runs besides his name.