DHAKA, May 24, 2020 (BSS)-Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza
has revealed that physio Micheal Henry’s mistake led his exclusion from the
2011 World Cup as he erroneously read one page of two-page fitness report, on
which the premier fast bowler’s fate to play in the cricket’s biggest
extravaganza was relied heavily.
Speaking at ‘Tamim Iqbal’s Live Show’, which was aired on Tamim’s facebook
page and Youtube channel on Saturday night, Mashrafe said that Henry declared
him unfit, reading out just one page of the fitness report.
“It was my biggest dream to play in the World Cup 2011 since it was hosted
by Bangladesh,” he said.
The right arm pacer was left out from the team due to his injury, which he
always claimed was not so serious.
The team was announced one and a half months before the World Cup, so
Mashrafe had enough time to prove his fitness.
Mashrafe disclosed that his surgeon Dr David Young sent a two-page report
to the then Bangladesh team physio Micheal Henry.
“But Henry wrongly read only one page and missed another which contained
some key information,” he said.
“After reading the first page of that report, Henry informed the selectors
that Mashrafe has no chance to play due to his injury and the selectors had
to pay heed to it. They don’t want to take any risk,” he added.
Mashrafe broke down in tears in public after the team was announced.
“I couldn’t control my emotion after being axed from the World Cup. I broke
down before the media,” he added.
Mashrafe, now a ruling party MP from Narail-2 constituency, said he called
Dr Young and asked about his report.
“Young told me about the two-page report. I then went to Henry and asked
him to see the report fully. Henry apologized to me, but by then the team had
already been announced,” Mashrafe said.
The lanky paceman said that it might be his worst day in cricket but still
the exclusion from that World Cup was a ‘blessing in disguise’ as his wife
was clinically dead at that time and he needed to stay beside her.
“That was the worst time of my life but when I looked back I don’t feel
that bad, Many don’t know my wife was announced clinically dead during that
World Cup. She needed me to stay by her,” Mashrafe said.
“It’s a blessing in disguise. I got the contentment that I had time to help
my wife when she needed me the most,” he added.
Mashrafe then bounced back in style, leading the side in two World Cups in
Australia (2015) and England (2019) and finishing his captaincy career as the
most successful skipper of the country.