Mahmudullah has announced his retirement from the only format he was still active in - ODIs - via a social media post on Wednesday.
"All praises only for the Almighty Allah. I have decided to retire from international cricket," Mahmudullah wrote on his official Facebook page. "I would like to thank all of my team-mates, coaches and especially my fans who have always supported me. A big thank you to my parents, my in-laws, especially my father in law & most importantly my brother Emdad Ullah, who has been there for me constantly since my childhood as my coach & mentor.
"And finally, thanks to my wife & kids, who have been my support system through thick & thin. I know Raeid will miss me in red and green jersey. Not everything comes to an end in a perfect way, but you say yes and move forward. Peace, Alhamdulillah. Best wishes to my team & Bangladesh cricket."
Mahmudullah, who turned 39 last month, had retired from Tests in 2021 and T20Is in 2024.
Mahmudullah finishes as Bangladesh's fourth-highest run-getter in ODIs, behind Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Tamim Iqbal, with 5689 runs at an average of 36.46, including four hundreds and 32 fifties. His retirement came a week after Mushfiqur, who is also his brother-in-law, had retired from ODIs.
On Monday, when the BCB said in its press release that Mahmudullah had requested the board not to consider him in the central contracts list after February 2025, it was seen as a sign of the impending announcement.
All of Mahmudullah's centuries came in ICC tournaments. After scoring two hundreds in the 2015 ODI World Cup, he made an unbeaten 102 against New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy in Cardiff. More recently, in the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, he scored 111 against South Africa in Mumbai.
The ODI retirements of Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur come after Bangladesh suffered an early exit in the 2025 Champions Trophy. Mahmudullah played just one innings, managing 4 off 14 balls against New Zealand in Rawalpindi. Mahmudullah's form in the lead-up to the tournament, though, was excellent: he had scored four ODI fifties in a row, against Afghanistan and West Indies, away from home.
Mahmudullah made his ODI debut in 2007 as a utility player, batting mostly at No. 7 and bowling offspin. The turning point came in the 2011 World Cup against England, when he added an unbroken 58 for the ninth wicket with Shafiul Islam to guide Bangladesh to a two-wicket win. The following year, his unbeaten fifties helped Bangladesh to a 3-2 ODI series win over West Indies.
Mahmudullah enjoyed more success in the 2015 World Cup, when he struck centuries against England and New Zealand in successive matches while batting at No. 3. His hundred against New Zealand in the 2017 Champions Trophy, in a 223-run stand with Shakib, is an iconic performance in Bangladesh cricket history.
Mahmudullah made a comeback ahead of the 2023 World Cup after he had been dropped from the side.
He also provided value with the ball, taking 82 wickets at an economy rate of 5.21. Mahmudullah never led Bangladesh in ODIs, though he had captained them in T20Is and Tests.
Mahmudullah's retirement brings the curtain down on Bangladesh's most successful quintet of cricketers who played between 2006 and 2025 in white-ball cricket. Tamim reconfirmed his retirement from international cricket earlier this year. Shakib had announced his Test and T20I retirement in India last year, while also informing at the time that the Champions Trophy would be his last ODI assignment. Having missed the tournament due to non-cricketing reasons, his ODI career now seems over, too.
Mashrafe Mortaza last played ODIs in 2020, when he also signed off from captaincy. Mushfiqur has retired from ODIs and T20Is, but is in line to become the first Bangladesh cricketer to reach the 100-Test landmark.