Mushfiqur pays heartfelt tribute to Shuvo on retirement

Bangladesh batting stalwart Mushfiqur Rahim took to social media on Tuesday to congratulate his longtime friend and teammate Shamsur Rahman Shuvo, who announced his retirement from first-class cricket.

In a heartfelt Facebook post, Mushfiqur wrote: "We began our journey together in 2000 at BKSP, and from there shared the field across Under-19, High Performance, academy and national teams. Alhamdulillah, it has been a blessing to play alongside you for more than 25 years. Shuvo, congratulations on an outstanding First Class career as you step into retirement. You are a great cricketer, a trusted friend and an even finer human being. Best wishes for your next chapter, dost [friend]."

Shuvo's long first-class journey came to an emotional close on Monday as the 37-year-old Barishal batter walked off for the final time at the Rajshahi Divisional Stadium, visibly moved after being dismissed for 17.

Making his first-class debut in 2005, Shuvo retires as one of the most experienced domestic performers of his generation. Over a career spanning two decades, he played 160 first-class matches, scoring 9, 602 runs at an average of 36.23. His tally includes 23 centuries and 46 half-centuries, cementing his status as one of the most reliable run-scorers on the domestic circuit.

 Although his international career was brief, it was memorable. Shamsur featured in six Test matches for Bangladesh, scoring 305 runs, including a century — 106 against Sri Lanka in Dhaka.

He also represented the national side in 10 ODIs and nine T20Is Internationals, accumulating 266 and 86 runs respectively.