‘Been playing for 18 years, focus should not waver so easily’
Questions were raised about whether Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will be able to maintain his focus on the game with the upcoming elections in mind. The cricketer proved that cricket was always his biggest target as he picked up the player-of-the-match award against the West Indies today, leading Bangladesh with passion.
He led from the front, picking up three wickets and giving away just 30 runs as Bangladesh restricted West Indies to just 195 for 9. Bangladesh picked up a convincing five-wicket win and the skipper said that his own performance was not to prove anything to anybody.
"There is nothing to reply to. I have been playing cricket for the last 18 years so it isn't easy for focus to waver. Every person knows himself very well. I don't know about others but I know myself and I don't think my focus should be faltering so easily," the captain said.
The cricketer decided to contest in the upcoming elections from his home district of Narail for the ruling Awami League and it created plenty of buzz ahead of the West Indies ODI series. Even when he played the practice game in BKSP on December 6, there were political chants going on but amidst the deafening noise and buzz around the upcoming elections, Mashrafe still was the same Mashrafe.
"For the last few days I have been trying physically to land the ball where I want it to in practice. So I was focusing on that," said Mashrafe about his focus on trying to get things right today. The player had called a press conference ahead of the ODI series so that people would not ask him questions on politics when he was leading the Tigers. His plans came to fruition as his focus never went away from cricket.
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