Mashrafe Mortaza steps down as Bangladesh ODI captain

Says the decision to rebuild the team for the next World Cup had convinced him to step down

March 05, 2020 10:49 pm | Updated 10:53 pm IST - Sylhet

 Mashrafe Mortaza. File

Mashrafe Mortaza. File

Bangladesh pace bowler Mashrafe Mortaza, one of the country’s biggest sports stars, stepped down as captain of the national one-day side on Thursday, possibly ending his international career.

Friday’s 50-over game against Zimbabwe here was his last as captain, said the 36-year-old, who already has a new career as a Member of Parliament.

Available for selection

Mashrafe said he would remain available for selection as a player, but selectors are under pressure to bring in fresh blood ahead of the 2023 World Cup in India.

“I would like to thank Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for keeping confidence in me for such a long period,” said Mashrafe. “I will try to give my best as a player if I get the opportunity.”

Mashrafe had not played any ODI since last year’s World Cup until the current Zimbabwe series. He claimed three wickets in the first two matches.

Bangladesh won both matches to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Mashrafe said the decision to rebuild the team for the next World Cup had convinced him to step down.

“Until yesterday I was undecided, but this morning I thought ‘that’s enough’,” he said.

Mashrafe, who has had seven operations on his knees, acknowledged that he had been lucky to play so long.

Cult status

The bowler has cult status in Bangladesh for his role in taking the team from being international whipping boys to becoming a respected limited-overs side.

He led Bangladesh to 49 wins in 87 matches, making him Bangladesh’s most successful one-day captain.

Mashrafe also led Bangladesh to 10 Twenty20 wins before retiring from the format in 2017. He has not played a Test since 2009 due to injury.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.