One of Bangladesh's most dependable players over the last 15 years, Mahmudullah Riyad announced his retirement from Test cricket on Wednesday (November 24). He also stated that he will continue to play white-ball cricket for Bangladesh (ODI and T20I) in the press release. Riyad decided to retire from longer-version cricket after delivering a match-winning knock against Zimbabwe in July. In honor of Mahmudullah's retirement from Test cricket, let's take a look at Mahmudullah Riyad's three match-winning centuries for Bangladesh.
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Mahmudullah Riyad’s three match-winning Test hundreds for Bangladesh
Mahmudullah Riyad made his Test debut against West Indies in 2009 at Kingston. He represented Bangladesh in 50 Test matches. He amassed 2,914 runs at a 33.49 average while taking 43 wickets at a 45.53 average. Mahmudullah scored 5 hundred and 16 fifties for the Test team. Take a look at the three centuries he scored to help Bangladesh win Test matches.
Match: Bangladesh vs West Indies (2nd Test, 2018)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: Bangladesh (innings and 184 runs)
Mahmudullah Riyad’s performance: 136 (1st innings)
The match was the second Test between Bangladesh and the visiting West Indies side in the series. Bangladesh had already taken a 1-0 lead in the series and they were considerably more at ease going into this match. Bangladesh scored 508 runs in their first innings before being bowled out. Interestingly, every batter from the top to the bottom in Bangladesh's innings made a significant contribution.
Though the only centurion among the batters from Bangladesh was Mahmudullah Riyad. He scored 136 runs in 242 balls in the first innings, ensuring the hosts a big total. After that, Bangladesh bowled the West Indies out twice to win by an innings. Bangladesh took entire control of the contest thanks to Mahmudullah's knock.
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Match: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe (2nd Test, 2018)
Venue: SBNCS, Mirpur
Result: Bangladesh (218 runs)
Mahmudullah Riyad’s performance: 36 & 101*
Bangladesh were under a great deal of pressure going into this match after losing the first Test. Bangladesh scored 522/7 before declaring their first innings, thanks to Mominul and Mushfiqur Rahim's outstanding batting performances.
However, they still had a lot of work to do in the second innings to put Zimbabwe under strain who were bowled out for 304 runs in the first innings. Mahmudullah Riyad rose to the occasion with a determined 101* run innings that enabled Bangladesh to take a commanding third-innings lead. Bangladesh won the match by 218 runs thanks to Mahmudullah's crucial innings.
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Match: Bangladesh vs Zimbabwe (One-off Test, 2021)
Venue: Harare sports club
Result: Bangladesh (220 runs)
Mahmudullah Riyad’s performance: 150* (1st innings)
Mahmudullah Riyad bid farewell to the Test format with a brilliant 150* from 278 balls knock against Zimbabwe earlier this year. Bangladesh scored 468 runs in their first innings, although the visitors were under pressure at one stage after losing six wickets for only 132 runs. Then, the Mahmudullah-Liton stand helped Bangladesh stay strong and score big in the first innings.
Riyad remained undefeated at the crease with a superb hundred. Bangladesh finally won the match by a comfortable margin, thanks to Riyad's responsible first-innings performance.
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Aftermath
Apart from the match-winning knocks highlighted above, Mahmudullah Riyad made a significant contribution to the Test format for Bangladesh. Riyad's contribution to the game sometimes goes unnoticed as he is renowned as the silent-killer. Many times, he scored 30/40 runs which were essential in the context of the game, but his efforts went unnoticed. Mahmudullah's retirement from Test cricket will leave a huge void in Bangladesh's middle-order batting lineup.