Mash sets sights on T20 challenge
On the eve of the New Year's celebrations, when Mashrafe Bin Mortaza talked about his New Year's wish, he came up with the same old mantra: "I do what my instincts tell me to do."
While he was talking to the Daily Star over phone from his home town of Narail, the only place that can give him back full freshness, last evening, he uttered the same old sentiment: "I never planned ahead for anything in my life. I never thought too much about success or failure."
Still he has a dream for the new year, which is to enhance the Bangladesh team's image in T20 cricket, as the start of 2016 will be dominated by the shortest version of cricket with the Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20 on the cards.
"In the new year we have a challenge at hand; to present a new Bangladesh in T20 cricket. We have the Asia Cup and ICC World Twenty20 and we are looking forward to these major events. We will be back to business after our holidays conclude within next few days and then we will definitely set our goal and accordingly chalk out our plan to realise that goal," said Mashrafe, reflecting on the Tigers' poor performance in the newest format of the game.
"I don't want to say that we will not think about our new challenges or goals for 2016, but I am against too much thinking. I would love to see everybody enjoy cricket in this new year," he added.
In terms of one-day cricket, the last year was like a dream for Bangladesh cricket and it was the charismatic leadership of Mashrafe that realised that dream. Now with a new year on the horizon, the expectations from the cricket fans will be high, but Mashrafe asked for serenity.
"Yes, 2015 was like a dream and of course the expectations will be high and there is nothing wrong with that. In 2015 our performance reached a new level and we must try to maintain that. However, in reality sometimes you can achieve what you want to, but sometimes may cannot and you must accept that…..it is true in every aspect of life. And that's why what I want to tell both the players and the fans again; let's enjoy cricket in the New Year,” asked the brave-heart cricketer.
Under the leadership of Mashrafe, Bangladesh looked like a happy family in the past year after all those hiccups in 2014 and overcame all the challenges as a happy unit to make a name in world cricket. And nobody will be surprised if Mashrafe's dream of establishing his side as a force in T20 cricket is fulfilled in the new year.
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