Sujon: I don’t know why they don’t want to retire from the field
Bangladesh's "Big five'
Over the years, they became the backbone of Bangladesh cricket, earning the name ‘Panchapandav’ and carrying the nation’s cricketing aspirations.
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However, the golden generation never received a proper farewell from the field. Their journey together effectively ended after the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at Lord’s, where Mashrafe played his last match for Bangladesh. Since then, the five stalwarts were never seen together on the field in national colors. While fans longed for a grand farewell, it never materialized.
In Bangladesh cricket, retiring from the field has been a rare privilege.
Bangladesh former captain Khaled Mahmud Sujon was one of the few cricketers to retire on the field, bidding farewell during a match against Sri Lanka in 2006. Others, like Abdur Razzak and Shahriar Nafees, left the game without playing a farewell match.
Sujon believes the ‘Panchapandavs’ deserved a grand farewell from the field.
“They took Bangladesh cricket to new heights. Retiring from the field was their right, and fans deserved to bid them farewell with applause,” he said.
He added that cricket is the love of a player’s life, making on-field retirement all the more meaningful.
“A player receives their debut cap on the field. It would be more presentable if they could leave from the same stage,” Sujon remarked.
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Recently, Bangladesh cricketers have opted to retire via social media rather than from the field. Following the 2025 Champions Trophy, both Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah Riyad faced criticism. Shortly after the tournament final, Mushfiqur announced his ODI retirement via a Facebook post.
On March 12, Mahmudullah followed suit, announcing his retirement the same way.
Sujon expressed his confusion over why modern players prefer social media over an on-field farewell.
“I don’t know why they don’t want to retire from the field. Mahmudullah could have retired in front of a packed stadium, with fans applauding him. That would have been a memorable moment for him,” he said.
When asked if BCB should have arranged farewell matches for the the big five, Sujon clarified that the board can only arrange a farewell if a player expresses their intention to retire in advance.
“When I retired, I announced that it was my last match. If a player informs the board beforehand, they can arrange something. But if they don’t say anything, how will the board know? There’s no point in blaming BCB,” he explained.
With Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur’s retirements, Bangladesh’s legendary ‘Panchapandav’ era has now officially come to an end—not with a standing ovation on the field, but with quiet announcements on social media.
