BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul has shared that Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah have expressed a desire to pursue coaching after retiring from playing cricket.
Mahmudullah has already stepped away from international cricket, while Mushfiqur is nearing that stage — currently active only in Tests, where his form has been underwhelming for a while. Both have represented Bangladesh for years, and fans have long speculated about their future plans. While neither player has officially outlined those plans, Aminul offered a glimpse during a media interaction.
During a courtesy visit to the Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) office on Sunday afternoon, the newly elected BCB president faced the press and shared that both veterans are interested in becoming international coaches.
Mahmudullah retired from ODIs in March after already bowing out of Test and T20 formats. Mushfiqur followed suit by announcing his ODI retirement following the Champions Trophy disappointment. He had earlier stepped away from T20Is and now features only in Tests at age 38.
Interestingly, the media didn’t directly ask Aminul about the two cricketers. The question was about former players working in the BCB — individuals like Akram Khan, Minhajul Abedin, and Habibul Bashar — and whether cricket has truly benefitted from their involvement.
Bulbul, who took over as president last Friday amid unexpected changes, responded by saying that instead of dwelling on the past, he wants to create a system where future cricketers can also thrive as administrators or coaches.
“Nannu bhai is one of the best batters in Bangladesh’s history. Akram bhai, one of the greatest captains. Lipu bhai, Habibul Bashar… they are all legends. They know the pitch conditions, the dressing room environment — everything. We absolutely must make use of such subject matter experts,” he said.
“However, it’s also true that a player doesn’t automatically become a good administrator or coach. We’ll put the right systems in place.”
In that context, he revealed his personal conversations with Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah.
“Toward that goal, I want to share — though I’m not sure if I should — that even before I officially joined the BCB, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah contacted me. They want to become international coaches. We’ll organize training and education programs through the cricket board to support that.”
