BCB to honour Rubel ahead of second Bangladesh-New Zealand ODI

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will honour Rubel Hossain ahead of the second ODI between the Tigers and New Zealand at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Monday, following the pacer’s retirement from international cricket after 12 years of service.

Rubel announced his decision last week, bringing an end to an international career that had effectively been inactive at the top level for several years.

The 36-year-old last represented Bangladesh on April 1, 2021, in a T20I against New Zealand in Auckland and has remained out of the national setup since.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday, the right-arm pacer confirmed his retirement.

“Representing the national team has always been my passion. But there comes a time when one has to step away from international cricket. With that in mind, I have decided to say goodbye to international cricket,” Rubel wrote.

Across formats, Rubel played 27 Tests, 104 ODIs and 28 T20Is between 2009 and 2021, claiming 193 wickets. He registered two five-wicket hauls -- one each in Tests and ODIs.

Despite stepping away from international cricket, Rubel expressed his intention to continue in the domestic circuit. However, his recent appearances have been limited: he last played first-class cricket in 2020, featured in a List A match in 2024 and a T20 in 2025, and has not played any competitive cricket for nearly 16 months.

“I intend to continue playing domestic cricket. I would like to thank my family, friends, media personnel and fans. I believe you will continue to stand by me in the days ahead as well,” he added.

Rubel was part of several notable moments for Bangladesh. His most memorable contribution came during the 2015 ICC World Cup, when he took the final wicket against England in Adelaide to send Bangladesh into the quarterfinals for the first time.

He also claimed the final wicket in Bangladesh’s 4-0 ODI series win over New Zealand in 2010 and recorded an ODI hat-trick against the same opponents in 2013. His career-best ODI figures of 6 for 26 remain jointly held with Mashrafe bin Mortaza as Bangladesh’s best in the format.

While effective in white-ball cricket, Rubel’s Test record was less impressive, with 36 wickets in 44 innings at an average of 76.77.

His career also featured off-field controversies. In 2015, he was briefly jailed in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act before being granted bail, which allowed him to play in the World Cup. He was also excluded from the BCB central contract list in 2016 for failing to follow rehabilitation guidelines and faced multiple sanctions from the International Cricket Council for breaches of the Code of Conduct.