Bangladesh T20I skipper Mahmudullah Riyad announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday.
Mahmudullah scored 2914 runs in 50 Tests, including five hundreds and 16 half-centuries. The right-armer also bagged 43 wickets in an outstanding 12-year career.
Mahmudullah made his Test debut in the year 2009 against West Indies and played his last match during Bangladesh’s tour of Zimbabwe in July 2021. Interestingly, he was named ‘Player of the Match’ after registering his highest Test score of 150 not out in the Harare Test in 2021, which turned out to be his last game in whites.
The star all-rounder took to social media to bid farewell from the longest format, thanking his family, teammates, coaches and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for the support.
“I am officially announcing my retirement from test cricket. I received the Man of the match award both in my debut & the last test match. Alhamdulillah, It has been a wonderful journey in test cricket. I would like to thank my family, teammates, coaches & BCB for their support,” Mahmudullah tweeted.
https://twitter.com/Mahmudullah30/status/1463509331416997888
Mahmudullah confirmed that he would continue to play ODIs and T20I for the national team and try his best to contribute in the white-ball format.
“I had always thought of going on a high, and I believe this is the right time to end my Test career. I want to extend my gratitude to the BCB President for supporting me when I returned to the Test team. I thank my teammates and the support staff for always encouraging me and believing in my ability. It has been an absolute honour and privilege to play Test cricket for Bangladesh, and I will cherish the many memories. Although I am retiring from Tests, I will still be playing ODIs and T20 internationals and really looking forward to continuing giving my best for my country in white-ball cricket,” said Mahmudullah as quoted by Cricbuzz.
