Published: Jan 12, 2020, 08:58 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 12, 2020, 08:58 PM (IST)
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan on Sunday revealed that the men’s national one-day international captain Mashrafe Mortaza has not been included in the central contract list of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), a move that was decided by Mortaza himself.
According to a report in Dhaka Tribune, Hassan said that 36-year old Mortaza asked to be left out of the list in order to pave the way for younger talent to join the team, and the board accepted his request at their meeting on the day.
Mortaza’s captaincy too has failed to raise the standards of Bangladesh side as The Tigers finished their ICC World Cup 2019 campaign in eighth place following a promising start.
“It depends on selection. After taking just one wicket in eight matches I expect that I will not get into the side,” Mortaza was quoted as saying by The Daily Star.
“This actually depends on the selectors. If the selectors decide to give me a chance then I will try my best but at this moment after taking just one wicket in eight matches, how can I say that I will be getting a chance to play? If it was someone else other than me then he would have been dropped much earlier,” he explained earlier.
Mortaza retired from T20Is in 2017 but has continued to lead the team in ODI cricket. In the meanwhile, his political career kicked off in grand fashion with an electoral victory in the Bangladesh general elections 2018.
Mortaza is currently engaged in the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as captain of Dhaka Platoon, experiencing a surge of form with both the bat and ball in hand. “I am just thinking as a simple player. I am just playing my game and enjoying,” Mortaza said.
“If there are any ODIs in the future and if the selectors think that I should play then obviously I will be there. Because at the end of the day, it is cricket that matters to me most.”
