Early yesterday morning, Mohammedan stars lined up to give Mushfiqur Rahim a guard of honour after the veteran batter announced his ODI retirement on social media the night before.

For Mushfiqur, there may have been some regret over how his ODI career ended. However, for his Mohammedan teammates, the moment was one of celebration.

Mushfiqur did not come out to bat against Rupganj Tigers yesterday in a game in which Mohammedan picked up their first win. He cut a cake at the end of the game with the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mehedi Miraz, and others. He would leave the stadium right after the game, nonchalantly, in fact, for he only has a mind for the game, often to a fault.

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Mushfiqur Rahim: The relentless Tiger

Asked where Mushfiqur ranks as a batter, former Bangladesh skipper Habibul Bashar did not hesitate. "Top of the list," he said with a smile, as if the answer had been obvious before the question was even asked.

"The first thing we discussed about him was that he had sound technique. He's technically perfect -- the kind of technique needed to succeed in international cricket," Bashar, who captained Mushfiqur in his first World Cup appearance in 2007, told The Daily Star. "Back then, Khaled Mashud was a brilliant wicketkeeper and a handy batter, but Mushfiqur replaced him because he was a genuine batter."

For over a decade, Mushfiqur has been Bangladesh's batting mainstay in both white-ball and red-ball cricket. He is neither the most assertive nor the most powerful, but what he has in abundance is quality.

For Mushfiqur, the formula for success has always been simple -- hard work.

His ODI career did have a bumpy start. Between 2006 and 2010, he averaged just 23.54. However, the selectors remained patient, recognising his potential for improvement.

"He improved day by day," Bashar explained. "There are many players who start well, and we speak highly of them, but they don't continue. Mushfiqur, on the other hand, kept honing his skills. He improved his strike rate, expanded his range of shots, and, most importantly, worked incredibly hard. Talent was there, but it's his hard work that set him apart."

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‘Retirement call should come from seniors’ end’

Bashar is not the only one to point out Mushfiqur's dedication. Faruque Ahmed, the current Bangladesh Cricket Board president and the former selector who brought Mushfiqur to the national side, also highlighted the cricketer's "work ethic" in a press release yesterday, expressing gratitude towards the batter.

In a testament to his hard work, Mushfiqur scored 4,714 runs -- nearly 60 percent of his career total -- at an average of over 43 and a strike rate of above 84 in the 134 ODIs between 2011 and 2020. It was during this purple patch that he earned the nickname "Mr. Dependable."

Along with the rest four of Bangladesh's 'Big Five' -- Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mahmudullah Riyad -- Mushfiqur was able to take Bangladesh to a new height. Though he will no longer don the red and green in ODIs, the hope remains that the 37-year-old will continue showcasing his class in Test cricket.