Bangladesh fast bowler Rubel Hossain has announced his retirement from international cricket, bringing an end to a career that spanned 159 appearances for his country.
Rubel confirmed his decision in a message shared on Facebook, reflecting on his international journey and future plans. “I am pacer Rubel Hossain. I have played 27 Tests, 104 ODIs and 28 T20Is for Bangladesh,” he wrote.
“The national team is my passion. But at some point, I had to leave international cricket. With that in mind, I said goodbye to international cricket. However, I intend to continue playing domestic cricket. Thank you to my family, friends, media personnel and fans. I believe that you will continue to support me for the rest of my life,” he added.
The 36-year-old last represented the Bangladesh national cricket team in April 2021 during a T20 International against the New Zealand national cricket team in Auckland. Since then, recurring injuries have limited his involvement, even in domestic cricket.
Rubel Hossain is widely remembered for his match-winning spell against the England national cricket team during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Adelaide. In that match, he dismissed Ian Bell and captain Eoin Morgan in quick succession, before removing Stuart Broad and James Anderson to finish with figures of 4 for 53.
He made his international debut in 2009 after being spotted by then Bangladesh fast-bowling coach Champaka Ramanayake during a nationwide talent hunt. Known for his slingy action and ability to generate pace above 140kph, he quickly made an impact at the international level.
Rubel became the first Bangladesh bowler to claim four wickets on ODI debut, taking 4 for 33 against the Sri Lanka national cricket team in Mirpur in 2009. However, he later endured a difficult outing against the same opposition when Muttiah Muralitharan counter-attacked in the final of a tri-series.
Although he showed promise in Test cricket, including a five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Hamilton in 2010, Rubel struggled for consistency in the longest format. He finished with 36 wickets from 27 Tests at an average of 76.77.
It was in One-Day Internationals where he achieved most of his success, taking 129 wickets at an average of 34.31. At the time of his retirement, he ranks as Bangladesh’s fifth-highest wicket-taker in ODIs, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz closing in on his tally.
His ODI career includes seven four-wicket hauls and a best performance of 6 for 26 against New Zealand in 2013, which featured a hat-trick. Notably, he had also taken a hat-trick in a domestic one-day match just a week earlier, although he was initially unaware of the achievement at the time.
