Bangladesh wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim officially announced his retirement from T20 internationals on Sunday
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Mushfiqur Rahim made his announcement on Sunday
- The Bangladesh wicketkeeper is willing to play in the T20 franchise league
- Mushfiqur Rahim said he will continue to play Tests and ODIs
Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim has announced his retirement from T20 internationals in order to “concentrate on Test and ODI formats of the game.” On Sunday, he took his Twitter to announce his decision. His choice was made not long after Bangladesh was eliminated from the current Asia Cup after losing both of their first-round matches to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.
His inclusion in the T20I team was once again highlighted as he only managed to score 1 and 4 in two matches and a crucial dropped catch of Kusal Mendis against Sri Lanka on Sep 01.
The BCB was reportedly ready to drop Mushfiqur from Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup plans due to his subpar performance in the format. Later this month, a Bangladeshi team will go to New Zealand to compete in a T20 tri-series against Pakistan and New Zealand. The same team is anticipated to be announced for the T20 World Cup in Australia next month.
Since November 2019, Mushfiqur has struggled in T20Is, scoring just two half-centuries in that time. During the T20 World Cup last year, he amassed 144 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 113.38. He was “rested” prior to the ensuing T20I series against Pakistan. He claimed, however, that the BCB called him for a meeting after dropping him off.
He later participated in a single T20I match against Afghanistan before refusing the West Indies tour due to personal reasons. Before being selected for the Asia Cup, he rested again in the T20Is against Zimbabwe in July. Mushfiqur’s recent wicket keeping has also come under criticism.
He has, however, consistently performed in both Tests and ODIs. Since November 2019, when his T20I performance started to drop, Mushfiqur has averaged 54.81 in 15 Test matches, scoring three hundred, including a double-hundred. He has played 20 ODIs, averaging 42.12, and has consistently been a regular.
Tamim Iqbal, a player from Bangladesh, retired from the shortest format in July, making Mushfiqur the second player from that country to do so recently.
