Mushfiqur Rahim retires from T20Is

Bangladesh wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim has announced his retirement from T20 International cricket. He made the announcement in a post on his official Facebook page on Sunday.

His decision comes soon after Bangladesh's exit from the ongoing Asia Cup, where they lost both first-round games to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka.

However, he will continue to play the other two formats of cricket --Test and ODI. The experienced cricketer will also play T20 at the domestic level.

"I have been grateful to have you all beside me throughout my long career. Your support has been my inspiration during my highs and lows. Today, I am announcing my retirement from T20 Internationals," Mushfiqur wrote in his verified facebook page.

"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. Alhamdulillah. Thank you all. Allah Hafez."

He is the second senior player to retire from this format after Tamim Iqbal.

Recently Mushfiqur's T20 form has been heavily criticized of late specially after he dropped an easy catch of Kushal Mendis in the Asia Cup. That drop which eventually led Bangladesh's two-wicket defeat and early exit from the continental tournament made him the eyesore of the fans.

Bangladesh fans have been vocal about his capability behind the wicket since he missed the run out chance of Kiwi captain Kane Williamson in 2019 World Cup. That also became costly as this caused Bangladesh's exit from the cricket's biggest extravaganza.

Mushfiq was a member of Bangladesh's first T20 match in 2006. He has played 102 international T20 matches so far. He scored 1500 runs after batting in 93 at an average of 19.48 and a strike rate of 115.03. The 35-year-old batsman hit six half-centuries in this format.