Mashrafe found wanting in BBPL too
A dark chapter in the 2019 World Cup was the dismal returns for ODI skipper Mashrafe, who looked a shadow of his former self as he went limping through the campaign with persistent hamstring problems before eventually leading the Tigers to an eighth-place finish.
His performances fuelled questions regarding the ODI captain’s retirement, and with no ODIs till the home series against Zimbabwe in February, it propagated a hangover that began in 2019 and one that Bangladesh cricket is still suffering from in 2020.
Mashrafe not just failed as a captain but also as a pacer as he managed to pick up just one wicket in eight World Cup games. The Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League provided the long-awaited return for Mashrafe to competitive cricket. but the inspirational cricketer once again faced harsh reality.
After not being picked initially by any team during the players draft of the BBPL, Mashrafe was eventually roped in by Dhaka Platoon during the seventh call of the draft. The main reason for the lack of interest from the teams towards Mashrafe was his performance as he was returning after a long break following the injury he suffered before the ODI series against Sri Lanka.
Much like his performance in the World Cup, Mashrafe was unable to make an impact in the BBPL, picking up eight wickets in 13 games at an economy of 7.62 as Dhaka Platoon were ousted following a seven-wicket defeat against Chattogram Challengers in the first eliminator yesterday.
A key aspect in any sports around the world is fitness of a player, and Mashrafe’s match fitness was found wanting in the BBPL.
It was rather unusual when Mashrafe, who had to take 14 stitches on his left hand during the previous game, decided to play in the all-important eliminator.
It begged the question on why an unfit player with 14 stitches in his hand would play a competitive game, that too in such a crucial encounter? His discomfort was apparent all throughout the game. It is not difficult to guess that it was solely Mashrafe’s call to take part in the game, which raises the question whether his personal decision to play despite being injured had hampered composition of the Dhaka team.
Despite his brave decision to play with 14 stitches, the pacer ended the game without a wicket, conceding 33 runs in four overs.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board, however, gave Mashrafe the liberty to make the call on his own retirement and even offered him a grand farewell.
Interestingly, Mashrafe himself was realistic over the issue of retirement, asking whether he should be selected for the national team considering his performances at the World Cup.
“No, I don’t think the selectors will first select the captain and then the team as I have already given a clear message that the selectors can do whatever they dim fit. As you know everything happens in Bangladesh, so the selectors would do what they think. If the BCB asks me to quit then I will quit captaincy right now, I have no problem. Leave my decision to me,” Mashrafe said yesterday when asked whether he would quit ODI captaincy.
It appears the stance from the board and the selectors on Mashrafe is confusing too. Chief selector Minhajul Abedin said, “We are not thinking of him at the moment as we have Tests and T20s to deal with. Mashrafe is one of the biggest players we have got, so we can think about him when we have ODIs.”
The stance from both BCB and Mashrafe over his future and how both parties are dealing with this is a ridiculous circumstance that the cricket world very rarely experiences.
