ZCZC
BSP-17
CRICKET-MASHRAFE-RETIREMENT-ISSUE
Immediate retirement from cricket is not in Mashrafe’s agenda
DHAKA, Jan 10, 2020 (BSS)-Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza made
it sure that he doesn’t have any personal plan to retire from cricket in near
future but he would give the issue a thought if the board insists him.
Mashrafe’s retirement issue has been the talk of the cricket fraternity
since the World Cup and the speculation further raised following Bangladesh
Cricket Board’s (BCB) decision to include two ODIs in the home series against
Zimbabwe in February that originally comprised of one Test and five T20
Internationals.
The decision was seen to give Mashrafe a befitting farewell from the
cricket as BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon earlier said that they want the
captain to retire from the cricket in front of the home crowd.
“You can say that everybody makes me retired from the cricket. But I am
enjoying the game. I didn’t take any decision whether I would retire from the
cricket from the field. If the Cricket Board has that sort of plan,
definitely I will rethink about it,” Mashrafe said here today, effectively
ruling out any retirement plan by his own.
Despite aspiring to play for the national team again, Mashrafe is
apprehensive with his future, especially after taking just one wicket from
eight games in the World Cup.
“To be honest, after taking one wicket from eight games, my gut feeling is
that I won’t be able to make the cut in the team. It is the selector’s
matter. If the selectors think that they will give me another opportunity, I
will try my best. But I know if anybody, apart from me, got one wicket in
eight games, he would have been dropped from the team straightway,” he added.
After the World Cup debacle, Mashrafe had the opportunity to play a three-
match ODI series in Sri Lanka but due to his injury, he had to pull himself
out from the tour.
“I had the opportunity to get back to the team in Sri Lanka since Shakib
was rested. I couldn’t play due to injury after which Bangladesh didn’t play
any ODI. So I didn’t get any opportunity to talk to the selectors about what
they are thinking regarding me,” he said.
“But as player I am still enjoying the cricket and if the selectors give me
the chance I will definitely play cricket. At the end, cricket is everything
to me. So I will play cricket, be it in the national team or any other side.
I don’t know whether I will be given the captaincy role again. That’s up to
the board,” Mashrafe concluded.
BSS/SMP/ARS/2030 hrs