Veteran Bangladesh batter Mushfiqur Rahim’s decision to retire from ODIs has been fully respected by captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz, who emphasized that any talk of a possible comeback is secondary to the player’s own decision.
Mushfiqur, who last featured in the 2025 Champions Trophy as his final ODI appearance and had already stepped away from T20Is earlier, is now active only in Test cricket. However, recent speculation suggested that Miraz wanted to bring him back to address Bangladesh’s middle-order concerns.
Speaking ahead of the first ODI against New Zealand in Mirpur on Thursday, Miraz made it clear that while he had earlier discussed the possibility with team management after becoming captain, the decision was never his alone. He stressed that such matters involve selectors and the cricket board and must be handled collectively.
Miraz said that after taking over the captaincy of the ODI team, he had spoken with the team management about bringing Mushfiqur into the side. The Bangladesh captain said, “When I became captain, I did talk about it. Since he is playing Test cricket and has retired, the decision is not mine alone. There is a decision from the cricket board here. Although there was a collective discussion, since he has retired, I think his retirement decision must definitely be respected.”
“Of course, he is a legendary cricketer and I have played with him for a long time. Having a player like him in the team makes the captain’s job much easier. In terms of fitness, I think he could have played a few more years, but since he has retired, I fully respect his decision,” Miraz said.
