Cheers & fears grip Mashrafe's Test ambition

One can enjoy nothing more brilliant, vivid and striking than the company of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza. Ask any of his teammates how big his influence is both on and off the field, ask any journalist how entertaining and refreshing spending time with the brave-hearted cricketer is, or ask any of his friends, regardless of class and creed, how warming it is to spend time with him; they will tell you the same.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that Mashrafe is the most beloved cricketer in the country. He has proved his ability and courage as a player beyond doubt and the 'Narail Express' showed that he could perform magic as a captain, inspiring his teammates to achieve feats one after another under his leadership.

Apart from his presence during the Tigers' successes since the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, a long-time fit Mashrafe was a big surprise to his fans. When someone like Mashrafe expresses a desire then everyone wants it to be fulfilled, but when the pacer revealed last Monday -- on his 32nd birthday -- that he wanted to make a return to Test cricket, many embraced the news with more fears than cheers.

Mashrafe said that he would play for Khulna in their next four-day National Cricket League (NCL) match against Rangpur which begins tomorrow. He also expressed his desire to play another round in what he termed a first attempt to reviving his Test career.

Everyone would love to see him don the whites for his country once again, but his fitness issues remain a constant worry. Every time the right-arm pacer takes the field, millions of fans pray that they don't get any bad news since injury has become synonymous with Mashrafe.

Constant injuries significantly reduced his appearances in the international circuit, but he is still going strong after having operations on both his knees several times, which itself is a miracle in the world's sports arena.

Mashrafe could only play 36 Tests since making his debut against Zimbabwe in 2001 and his last Test was in July 2009 against the West Indies. In his last Test, where he was captain, he had taken a tumble on his follow-through after bowling only 6.3 overs. Thereafter he struggled to meet fitness requirements to play longer-version cricket and has regularly featured only in shorter formats over the last 18 months.

His last first-class appearances were in January 2014, when he played in the Bangladesh Cricket League only to prove that he was match-fit.

Under these circumstances when he expressed his desire for Test cricket, the fear is whether he would hurt himself again while playing the more demanding cricket when he could only bowl four or five overs at a good pace in a shorter-version international match. True, he is a man who has overcome many adversities and his fans respect his desire, but at the same time they desperately want him to at least lead the Tigers in the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.

When chief selector Faruqe Ahmed's attention was drawn to Mashrafe's desire, he said, "This is his opinion. He has to prove himself and perform in the domestic circuit before reviving his Test career. My opinion is that we need his services in the shorter-version of cricket as much as possible and I would love to see him extending his shorter-version career."