Bangladesh legend Mushfiqur Rahim retires from ODI cricket

Bangladesh veteran Mushfiqur Rahim has called an end to his One-Day International career. Mushfiqur shared the news through his instagram stating the last few weeks, when Bangladesh exited the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 win-less, were challenging.

"I am announcing my retirement from the ODI format as of today," Mushfiqur's statement read. "While our achievements may have been limited on a global level, one thing is certain: whenever I stepped onto the field for my country, I gave more than 100% with dedication and honesty."

“The last few weeks have been very challenging for me, and I have come to realize that this is my destiny.” he added.

Rahim is widely regarded as the greatest cricketer to have played for Bangladesh. A right-handed middle-order batter and wicketkeeper, he has been a key figure in Bangladesh’s cricketing history and previously served as captain of the national team.

Mushfiqur made his international debut in 2005 at just 18 years old against England, becoming the second-youngest player after Sachin Tendulkar to play a Test match at Lord’s. Initially playing as a specialist batsman, he quickly established himself as a reliable wicketkeeper-batsman. His breakthrough moment came in 2010 when he scored the fastest century by a Bangladeshi in a Test match against India. 

Over the years, he has accumulated over 11,000 international runs and completed more than 400 dismissals as a wicketkeeper. His versatility as a batter has been widely praised, with former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons stating that he could perform anywhere in the top order. Mushfiqur has been one of the most consistent run-scorers across formats, becoming the first Bangladeshi player to score over 1,000 runs in every format. 

He remains the highest individual scorer for Bangladesh in Test cricket and is the only wicketkeeper-batsman in history to have scored two Test double-hundreds. Mushfiqur holds multiple records for Bangladesh, including being the first and only player from his country to score three double centuries in Test cricket. His career milestones include being the second Bangladeshi to reach 4,000 Test runs and the first to surpass 5,000 and 6,000 Test runs. 

He also holds the record for the longest Test innings by a Bangladeshi in terms of time spent at the crease. Despite his numerous achievements, he also made headlines in December 2023 for an unfortunate record, becoming only the second cricketer in Test history after Len Hutton to be given out for obstructing the field. He was also criticized for attempting to hit his teammate, Nasum Ahmed, during an eliminator match in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup. 

The incident occurred when both players went for the same catch and narrowly avoided a collision, with Mushfiqur ultimately taking the catch. As captain of Beximco Dhaka, he was visibly frustrated and was seen on video threatening to punch his teammate, an incident that quickly went viral on Twitter. Following the backlash, Mushfiqur apologized, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) fined him 25% of his match fees and issued him one demerit point for his actions. His contributions, however, continue to cement his legacy as Bangladesh’s most accomplished cricketer.