Mashrafe’s poetic tribute to Mushfiq after ODI retirement
Following Bangladesh’s disastrous Champions Trophy campaign and his poor form with the bat—scoring just two runs in two matches—Mushfiqur faced widespread criticism.
Although the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had not made an official announcement, it was known that Mushfiqur Rahim would remain in the board's central contract for another year. With such news circulating, questions about his retirement were unlikely to arise.
However, last night, Mushfiqur took to social media to announce that he would no longer play 50-over cricket. Back in September 2022, he had also announced his retirement from international T20s via social media. Yesterday, he bid farewell to ODIs in the same manner.
Following Bangladesh's disastrous Champions Trophy campaign and his poor form with the bat—scoring just two runs in two matches—Mushfiqur faced widespread criticism. The news of 35-year-old Steven Smith's ODI retirement yesterday morning may have only intensified the pressure on the 37-year-old Mushfiqur. He chose not to let that pressure mount any further.
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The news of Mushfiqur's ODI retirement has left many in Bangladesh's cricketing circles emotional and nostalgic. One of them is Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who expressed his feelings for his long-time teammate in a poetic manner.
The two represented Bangladesh together for nearly 15 years, playing 212 matches as teammates. They also played under each other's captaincy—Mashrafe appeared in 32 matches under Mushfiqur's leadership, while Mushfiqur played 104 times under Mashrafe. In his Facebook post, Mashrafe began by reminiscing about their journey together: "Hearing of your retirement, countless memories flashed before my eyes in an instant. So many years of walking the same path together, countless memories both on and off the field!"
Highlighting Mushfiqur's hard work and dedication, Mashrafe further wrote, "Your records in ODIs will speak for you. How many glorious days your bat has brought to Bangladesh cricket! But the record books will not capture the dedication and devotion with which you built your career, the streams of sweat you endured to reach success. Your hard work, determination, and sacrifices will serve as an example for generations to come in Bangladesh cricket."
From now on, Mushfiqur will only be seen playing Test cricket for Bangladesh. He is just six matches away from becoming the country's first cricketer to play 100 Tests. Wishing him well for this chapter, Mashrafe concluded, "I hope you make the rest of your Test journey even more vibrant. May your bat continue to enrich Bangladesh cricket in the most elite format…"
