Habibul Bashar retires from all forms of the game

Habibul Bashar, the former Bangladesh captain, has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.

"It has been a terrific journey for me and after two decades of international, first class and cub cricket I feel I have reached the end of the road. The Port City League (PCL) T20 in Sharjah next week will be my last competition as a player," Bashar wrote in his letter to the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

"I thank the BCB for giving me the honour of captaining Bangladesh and for the support throughout my career," Bashar wrote. "I will cherish the memories of my time in the Bangladesh dressing room and my heartfelt gratitude goes out to all the players, coaches, team officials and staff I have had the privilege of knowing and working with.

"As I bid bye I also feel excitement at the way the Bangladesh cricket team is progressing. I wish them every success."

Bashar played fifty Tests for Bangladesh, including their inaugural Test in 2000. He went on to lead the side in 18 Tests, including one victory and four draws. His most memorable moments as captain came in 2005 when Bangladesh stunned Australia in an ODI in Cardiff, and in the 2007 World Cup where his side relegated India to enter the Super Eights.

As a batsman, Bashar massively under-achieved for a man of his talent, often succumbing to a propensity to hook, and finished with a Test average of 30.87. He was dropped from the national side after a protracted run of poor form and headed to the ICL in 2008, where he captained the Dhaka Warriors.

The BCB president AHM Mustafa Kamal led the tributes in praise of Bashar. "We are indebted to this fantastic cricketer who had instilled belief in the players and inspired them to perform.

"Under his able leadership Bangladesh had tasted the first Test victory and had progressed to the Super Eight stages of the 2007 Cricket World Cup. With his batting he showed others the way to dominate and score at international level. We hope that he will continue to be associated with Bangladesh cricket after his retirement," he said.