“Today, I am announcing my retirement from T20 Internationals,” Mushfiqur, 35, wrote. “I will proudly continue to represent Bangladesh in Test and ODI formats. I am hopeful that I can bring success for our nation in these two formats. I will continue to take part in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) and other franchise tournaments.”
Mushfiqur’s scores of 4 and 1, and a crucial dropped catch of Kusal Mendis against Sri Lanka, brought back the spotlight on his place in the T20I team.
Given his poor form in the format, the BCB was reportedly prepared to drop Mushfiqur from Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup plans. The Bangladesh contingent will be leaving later this month to play in a T20 tri-series against New Zealand and Pakistan in New Zealand, with the same squad expected to be announced for the T20 World Cup in Australia next month.
He then played a single T20I against Afghanistan before skipping the West Indies tour for personal reasons. He was rested again for the T20Is against Zimbabwe in July, before being picked for the Asia Cup. Mushfiqur’s wicketkeeping has also come under criticism in recent times.
However, he has been a consistent performer in both Tests and ODIs. During the same period of his T20I decline (since November 2019), Mushfiqur has averaged 54.81 in 15 Tests, scoring three centuries including a double-hundred. He has always remained an ODI mainstay, averaging 42.12 in 20 matches.