The recent retirements of stalwarts Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad from the white-ball formats have left a giant vacuum in the national team as it is now officially without any of their five senior cricketers, all known together as the 'Big Five'.

The other three names in this group – Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan – are no longer active in the national team. Although of the three, only Tamim has officially retired, chances of the other two representing Bangladesh in the future seem next to nil.

Although these five cricketers demonstrated individual brilliances in many games for Bangladesh and helped them win many matches but when it came to winning a global tournament, they always fell short.

On Saturday, all-rounder Mehedi Hasan Miraz insisted that it's now the turn of the next generation to take Bangladesh cricket to the next level and that they will aim to bring home a trophy from a major event, something their predecessor could never achieve.

May 2025: 3 ODIs against Pakistan (away)

June-July 2025: 3 ODIs against Sri Lanka (away)

July-August 2025: 3 ODIs against Pakistan (home, proposed)

August 2025: 3 ODIs against India (home)

October 2025: 3 ODIs against West Indies (home)

November-December 2025: 3 ODIs against Ireland (home)

March-April 2026: 3 ODIs against Pakistan (home)

April 2026: 3 ODIs against New Zealand (home)

June 2026: 3 ODIs against Australia (home)

July 2026: 5 ODIs against Zimbabwe (away)

August 2026: 3 ODIs against Ireland (away)

November-December 2026: 3 ODIs against South Africa (away)

"Everyone has to leave at some point. They had a big contribution in taking Bangladesh cricket to a level. Now it's our turn to take it to the next level," Miraz told reporters in Mirpur after delivering a match-winning all-round performance of 25 runs and four wickets for Mohammedan Sporting Club against Legends of Rupganj.

"We are yet to win a trophy. Our target will be to win a big tournament which I think will be good for our generation," he added.

Miraz also said there are many players in the current side who have considerable experience in the international scene and they must take up the responsibility now.

"Those of us who are in the team now, it's crucial that we all perform. Many of us have also played 7-8 years in international cricket. There are 6-7 players who have played international cricket for 6-7 or even 10 years. You can't say that everyone in the team is new in international cricket.

"I feel there is enough experience in the team, we have played international cricket together for many years. Now it's very important for us to deliver using our experience," said Miraz, who expressed the need of giving extended opportunities to the current cricketers keeping the 2027 ICC World Cup in mind.

"If you want to establish someone, you need to give them opportunities. We have to give them opportunities in the ODIs we have left before the World Cup. We need to take long-term preparation. If we start our preparations just two to three months before the World Cup, it will be difficult.

"We have around two-and-a-half years left before the World Cup. We need to decide what will be the team's setup from now on. We need to start our preparations considering who will be playing in which position. Players need to be given opportunities and everyone must back each other," he concluded.