Mahmud played 12 Tests and 77 ODIs, winning Player of the Match in Bangladesh’s famous win against Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup. He led Bangladesh in nine Tests and 15 ODIs, although the team never won a game under him. The closest he came was when Pakistan beat Bangladesh by one wicket in the Multan Test in 2003. It was also Mahmud’s finest hour as a Test cricketer, taking match figures of 7 for 105.