Shakib Al Hasan, Mustafizur Rahman, Tamim Iqbal & Mashrafe Mortaza have already hung up their boots and now the third T20I between India and Bangladesh marked the end of a remarkable T20I career for Mahmudullah. The legendary Bangladeshi batting all-rounder, who holds the record for the most T20I appearances for his country, was dismissed for the last time in the format by Indian speedster Mayank Yadav for 8 runs.
A lasting career for Mahmudullah
Longevity is the word that would define Mahmudullah’s T20I career. He made his debut in 2007 and quickly established himself as a key player for Bangladesh. Over the years, Mahmudullah played in numerous T20I tournaments, including as many as eight T20 World Cup campaigns. He was also the captain of the Bangladesh team at the 2021 T20 World Cup. Before taking the field for the last time in the T20I format, Mahmudullah received a heartfelt tribute from his teammates. Former Bangladesh captain and current commentator for the series, Tamim Iqbal, also joined the ceremony, coming down to shake hands with Mahmudullah on the field.
Samson putting his stamp on Mahmudullah’s farewell
While Mahmudullah’s farewell was a special occasion, the spotlight was stolen by Sanju Samson, who delivered an extraordinary performance in the final T20I. The Indian opener’s century, the second-fastest by an Indian batter in T20Is, overshadowed Mahmudullah’s farewell. Samson’s innings, along with Suryakumar Yadav’s 75, propelled India to a massive total of 297 runs. All kinds of records were broken, courtesy of some bludgeoning done by the Indian batters. However, Mahmudullah himself sneaked in with two overs and also got the big fish in Suryakumar Yadav. This denied SKY his fifth T20I century.
Mahmudullah T20I stats
Category | |
---|---|
Matches | 141 |
Runs | 2444 |
Average | 23.50 |
SR | 117.38 |
Wickets | 41 |
Best bowling | 3/10 |
Economy | 7.16 |