Happy to be playing: Mash

When Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was named captain in September this year, there were two other decisions that attracted as much attention as the change in captaincy. The first was Mashrafe's tenure. He was made captain only for the Zimbabwe series. And the second was awarding Shakib Al Hasan the vice-captain's role, barely a couple of weeks after the left-hander had made his return from a disciplinary suspension.
Combine the latter decisions and it depicts the lack of trust that the BCB had in Mashrafe. The Narail Express's proneness to injuries seemed to be a major reason why the BCB decided against naming a captain until the World Cup, barely a few months before the mega event.
The pace-bowler, after all, does have a horrendous record when it comes to getting injured prior to mega cricketing events. He missed out on the World Cup in 2011 due to a knee injury he suffered while playing in the Dhaka Premier League. He also could not feature in Bangladesh's first whitewash against New Zealand in 2010 due to an injury he suffered in the first ODI.
He was ruled out due to a side-strain just a few days before the Asia Cup this year as well. It was an injury that also threatened his participation in the ICC World T20.
The pacer however has shown no signs of getting injured in the five-match ODI series thus far; rather he has the best bowling figures among Bangladesh's pacers. There were times when his dives on the wicket to stop a straight drive off his own bowling created a bit of a stir amongst his fans, but fortunately for the Tigers, Mashrafe remains fit and hopes to finish this series with a bang.
When asked if he needed a break after playing four consecutive matches, Mashrafe brushed aside the suggestion.
"If I am performing I should play all ODIs and T20s, since I don't play Test matches. It wouldn't be an honest decision not to play the ODIs despite being fit. The last match [fourth ODI] was tough for me as there was just a day's gap before the game. So after playing that I gained a lot more confidence," said Mashrafe at the pre-match press conference in Mirpur yesterday.
Mashrafe's tenure as captain ends with the fifth ODI today. If he remains fit, he is likely to be given the role again for the World Cup. However, currently Mashrafe is not thinking about any of that.
"I take advice from Mushfiqur on and off the field. He watches the batsmen closely, and he is a capable leader. Shakib was one of our most successful captains. All three of us make a good combination.
"I don't take the additional challenge of captaincy, but I do take the challenge as a player. The BCB can decide on whoever the captain will be, I will be more than happy to just play," the 31-year-old concluded.