Veteran Bangladeshi fast bowler Rubel Hossain has announced his retirement from international cricket. The 36-year-old Rubel shared this news with his 3.5 million followers on Facebook, announcing his decision to bring an end to his journey spanning 159 international matches. Rubel played his final international match—a T20 International against the New Zealand national cricket team—in Auckland in April 2021. Since then, he had been battling persistent injuries, which significantly limited his participation even in domestic cricket.
For Bangladeshi fans, Rubel's most memorable performance will undoubtedly remain the match played against England in Adelaide during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. In that contest, he dismissed both Ian Bell and captain Eoin Morgan within the span of just four deliveries; subsequently, by sending Stuart Broad and James Anderson back to the pavilion, he finished with figures of 4 wickets for 53 runs—a bowling spell that proved to be match-winning.
Rubel wrote, I am Rubel Hossain, a fast bowler. I have played 27 Tests, 104 ODIs, and 28 T20 Internationals for Bangladesh. The national team has been my passion, but there comes a time when one must bid farewell to international cricket. It is with this sentiment that I have made this decision. However, I will continue to play domestic cricket." Expressing his gratitude to his family, friends, the media, and his fans, he also expressed hope for their continued support in the future.
Rubel Hossain Career
Rubel's international journey began in 2009, when the then-Bangladesh fast bowling coach, Champaka Ramanayake, discovered him during a nationwide talent hunt. With his slingy action and speeds reaching up to 140 km/h, Rubel quickly made a name for himself. In his very ODI debut against Sri Lanka, he claimed 4 wickets for 33 runs to guide Bangladesh to victory, becoming the first bowler to achieve this feat. He did not find as much success in Test cricket—taking 36 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 76.77—but he proved to be highly effective in the limited-overs formats.
In the ODI format, Rubel established himself as one of Bangladesh's most reliable bowlers, taking 129 wickets in 104 matches at an average of 34.31. His record includes seven instances of taking four wickets in an innings and one instance of taking five wickets. His performance against New Zealand in 2013—where he took 6 wickets for 26 runs, including a hat-trick—stands as one of the standout achievements of his career. Interestingly, just one week prior to this, he had also taken a hat-trick in a domestic match, although he hadn't even realized it at the time.
