Mashrafe Mortaza earned glowing praise from Bangladesh team-mates after captaining his country for the final time in ODIs.
Bangladesh thrashed Zimbabwe by 123 runs on the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method in Sylhet, sealing a 3-0 series triumph and making it 50 ODI wins from 88 matches as skipper for Mortaza.
The 36-year-old was then showered with effusive tributes from the likes of Liton Das, who scored a stunning 176 to set a new national record in the format.
"He's got a very special place in my heart," Das said of Mortaza. "I made my debut under him.
"He's always supported me. Having a captain like that is always rare.
"We will miss him, because when he leads, there's no distinction between seniors and juniors. It's a lot of fun."
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Bangladesh's most successful captain in ODIs played his last match as a Captain today in the third ODI against Zimbabwe. He led the Tigers for 88 matches and won record 50 matches. #ThankYouCaptain pic.twitter.com/7lqOzCh8AH
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) March 6, 2020
Mortaza gave credit to his players, saying: "This is a great honour. My boys have been fantastic. They have given everything for the team. I'd like to say my thanks to all the boys."
Adding to the kind words, Mahmudullah cited Mortaza's overall impact on the game in Bangladesh.
"He's been a brother and a friend, and he's done so much for Bangladesh cricket," he said. "We have operated in a very nice way. When he took over, we were floundering a little bit."
They were sentiments echoed by Tamim Iqbal, who shared a 292-run opening stand with Das on Friday.
"When he took over in 2014, we were nowhere," said Tamim, after making an unbeaten 128. "From 2014 to 2019, he took us to a stage where we were taken seriously all over the world.
"There were people who wanted me dropped, but he backed me all the way."
