Mahmudullah Announces Retirement From T20 Cricket

Mahmudullah Riyad has been in the spotlight since the last T20 World Cup, facing criticism for his batting style not being typical of T20 cricket. His inclusion in the squad for the ongoing series against India surprised many, with speculation that he would retire from the format during this series.

Today (Tuesday), just before the second T20 match against India in Delhi, the 38-year-old announced his retirement from T20 cricket. He made his international T20 debut in September 2007 and has represented Bangladesh in the format for 17 years.

In his retirement announcement, Mahmudullah stated, "I am retiring from T20. This will be my last series. I had actually decided this before coming here. The coach and captain were all aware. I believe this is the right time to make this decision. We should start preparing for the next World Cup now."

Mahmudullah has played 139 international T20 matches, scoring 2,395 runs at an average of 23.48 and a strike rate of nearly 118, including 8 half-centuries. He has also taken 40 wickets in the format.

Bangladesh will play the second T20 against India tomorrow (Wednesday) at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, followed by the third and final match on October 12 at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Hyderabad, which will mark Mahmudullah’s last T20 match for Bangladesh. He had previously retired unexpectedly from Test cricket during the Zimbabwe tour in July 2021.