Mashrafe Mortaza Steps Down As Bangladesh ODI Captain
Updated - 05 Mar 2020, 04:14 PM
Mashrafe Mortaza on Thursday stepped down from his One-Day International (ODI) captaincy role with immediate effect. He had earlier given up on his national team central contract to fuel speculations around his retirement.
Mashrafe Mortaza ODI captaincy stint
Mortaza made his senior team debut in 2001. He took over the captaincy reigns for the ODI team in 2010. He had reclaimed the leadership role in November 2014 and lead the side to their first-ever knockouts appearance at World Cup 2015.
Mortaza oversaw a period where Bangladesh became a rising force of ODI cricket by making a run to the semifinals of the 2017 Champions Trophy. Mortaza led the side 87 in games, winning 49 and losing 36 – a record unparalleled in Bangladesh cricket.
‘Mashrafe Mortaza did not want to continue as contracted player’
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan told reporters earlier this year that Mashrafe did not wish to continue as a contracted player. “We have accepted his proposal,” he said. Hassan also said that they have offered Mashrafe a massive going away party, “the likes of which has never happened and never will”.
Mashrafe has insisted that he would like to keep playing as long as he is enjoying the game, and not retiring just because the BCB president has said that they would throw a big party.
“I always believe the BCB is the cricketers’ guardian. I never took pride in going against them. I thank the BCB for considering me to give me a proper send-off, but I don’t have much interest in it,” he said,
