Former Bangladesh captain Khaled Mahmud was disappointed that Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad could not bid goodbye from ODIs from the field and said patience would be key in finding replacements for the veteran duo.

"They had glorious careers. Their careers are a bright chapter in Bangladesh cricket. They took Bangladesh cricket from one place to another. So, they deserved to retire from the field,' Mahmud, who is one of the only Bangladesh cricketers who retired from the field, told the media in Mirpur yesterday.

"Leaving the game is painful, especially as it's something you love the most. But of course, both of them made wise decisions regarding the timing of their retirement," he added.

Mahmud was part of the Bangladesh dressing room in different capacities for a big chunk of the 'Big Five' era of the national team – a period in which the likes of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah were the core of the side.

But after Mahmudullah announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, just days after Mushfiqur also quit the ODI format, no member of the 'Big Five' are now currently a part of the 50-over setup.

Although the 'Big Five' have achieved a lot as individuals, but in terms of getting Bangladesh to the next level, a big trophy remained elusive.

By comparison, the previous generation of cricketers like Minhajul Abedeen, Aminul Islam Bulbul and Mahmud helped Bangladesh cricket make a giant leap by lifting the ICC Trophy in 1997, a triumph that took Bangladesh to its maiden ODI World Cup in 1999 and eventually made way for them to attain Test status.

The 'Big Five' came close to winning the Asia Cup multiple times, finishing as runners-up thrice, reached the semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2017 and the quarterfinal of the ODI World Cup in 2015, but could not win any notable silverware as their triumphs were mostly limited to bilateral successes.

Both Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah faced public ire on social media after Bangladesh's poor showing in the recently-concluded Champions Trophy, where both of them also failed to deliver and soon after announced that they are stepping away.

Mahmud spoke about the harsh criticism the team faced after the Champions Trophy disaster which he felt crossed limits at times.

"Of course, there were expectations from the Champions Trophy but you have to be realistic. The boys too will have to take responsibility for failures but there can't be such bitter criticism like we saw on social media."

The big question in Bangladesh cricket right now is who will replace Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah in ODIs moving ahead.

Although Mahmud did not name any names, he said patience would be key in finding the proper replacements.

"You can't buy the experience of Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah. They were not big stars from the beginning; they built themselves up gradually.

"This is not musical chairs. If you drop someone after just one game then you would need 70 players in the pipeline. BCB is getting players from the pipeline and investing in them. You have to give them time."