SYLHET, March 5, 2020 (BSS)-The Bangladesh players paid a rich tribute to Mashrafe Bin Mortaza after he officially stepped down from the Bangladesh’s ODI captaincy.
The senior players like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Tamim Iqbal led the tributes, saying that Mashrafe’s contribution as captain for Bangladesh is second to none as he led the country’s cricket to another height.
After his first two stints as captain was cut short by perennial injury, he took over the captaincy for the third time in 2014 at a moment when country’s cricket hit the lowest ebb.
In the tumultuous period, his captaincy made a huge difference as he led
Bangladesh to some memorable wins against those mighty nations of the world.
Under his captaincy, Bangladesh also became a force in multinational
tournament like World Cup, ICC Champions Trophy, Asia Cup and others.
“There is no alternative to Mashrafe. Bangladesh will never get a captain
like him. He is like a part of the family. We’ll miss his captaincy…not
only on the field, but also off the field. It is always a different kind of
feeling to play with him,” said Mushfiqur Rahim. “We can’t forget the
contribution that Mashrafe made for the Bangladesh cricket. The way he takes
the cricket to another height, is exemplary. For him, our cricket has reached
another height. He changed the complexion of the cricket of this country
after taking over the captaincy again in 2014,” Tamim said while paying rich
tribute to Mashrafe.
“He has given a lot as a captain. No doubt, he is the most decent player
that the country has ever got. I think he is still able to play for some more
years and will do well. If he continues cricket, I will be happy, I wish him
success. His stats showed how good he is as a captain. He became the face of
Bangladesh cricket and changed the cricket strategy a lot after taking the
captaincy. He made the things easier for us,” Mahmudullah Riyad said.
“The volume of success says how good he is as a captain. Best wishes for
him. Hope he will stay fine,” Mohammad Mithun said.