Mash returns to action
Dhaka Platoon coach Mohammad Salahuddin yesterday said they were expecting Bangladesh’s ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza to be available from the start of the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League, banishing any concerns about the pacer’s injury.
The 36-year-old bowled for the first time since injury in the Platoon nets at the BCB Academy ground yesterday and did not complain of any back pain. However, he did work with the physio after completing the bowling session.
Mashrafe played his last ODI against Pakistan in the World Cup in July this year and since then the inspirational cricketer, who normally plays only the fifty-over format, has remained out of action.
He missed the three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka in August after suffering an ankle injury during training a day before the tour. Mashrafe then suffered a groin injury in mid-November, hurting himself while batting against a bowling machine.
Mashrafe, who was spotted in Mirpur over the past couple of days, bowled his first deliveries since returning to Tamim Iqbal yesterday and Salahuddin believes it will not take long for him to regain confidence.
“There was no pain when he bowled and I think everything is fine. I think he will be available for the whole tournament and that is why we picked him. He bowled today after a long time. Maybe there will be some complications with regards to rhythm, but I think it will be fine after bowling for a few days. The biggest advantage is his experience. You can’t overlook that aspect. So, when he will play, he will be at a hundred percent,’’ Salahuddin told reporters yesterday.
The Platoons gave Mashrafe a lifeline when they picked up the four-time BPL winner in the fourth round of the players’ draft as their second A+ category player after having grabbed Tamim earlier.
“He [Mashrafe] has not started practicing from today [yesterday]. He was trying for quite some time to regain fitness. No one has noticed that. He has lost weight and is trying to be fit,” he added.
