‘Difference between captaincy and leadership’
There is a difference between captaincy and leadership. Although there is not much for a captain to do on the field, there is a lot for a captain in Bangladesh to do off the field. Players tend to be disturbed when faced with problems regarding family, personal issues, lack of form, differences with coaches and fitness issues, so there are a lot of aspects.
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza
Bangladesh ODI Captain
It was an emotional moment for Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza as the inspirational cricketer, for one last time, walked into the press conference area as Bangladesh captain after the Tigers gave him a perfect send-off in his last match in charge. The most successful Bangladesh captain, with his 50th win under his belt, walked into the press conference after Bangladesh whitewashed Zimbabwe by winning the third ODI by 123 runs
The excerpts of the press conference are given below:
Question: Captain, how are you feeling?
Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (MBM): Extremely well.
Q: Are you relaxed?
MBM: Obviously, one big job is done now. Obviously, some people feel good, some feel bad and I have a mixed feeling. But to be honest, it feels good as I am able to finish at a good stage as a captain as it ended with a win, so it feels good.
Q: Your take on Tamim and Liton's opening pair?
MBM: Even Tamim and Liton know that I always like to watch two batsmen in world cricket, one is Virat Kohli and the other is Liton. There are many players who score a lot of runs but whenever Liton is at the crease, it's a treat to watch and I have said that a long time ago. I always believe that Liton is not just staying at the crease, he is important as he is able to change the momentum and he can play a big knock. I believe he is able to do that and his game is in his head now, as he has gained some experience from playing four years in international cricket. The hundred he scored against India in the final of the Asia Cup [2017], I think that's his natural game. Obviously, Tamim has scored 7,000 runs in ODIs. Yes, there is talk when you are not playing well, but obviously, I feel this is the best we have and there are others too.
Q: Where does captain Mashrafe want to see Bangladesh in this format after you leave?
MM: It's tough to say at the moment but I feel Bangladesh will do a lot better in the 2023 World Cup and we will play the semifinals. I have said this previously, and whoever leads the side will have the players of today, who will reach their peak then.
Q: You are the most successful Bangladesh ODI captain in terms of results. What are the attributes that a treue leader should have?
MM: It actually varies man to man. But the thing is, it's good to have the leadership quality but to ask for captaincy is not good as then the person becomes selfish, and I have seen a lot of players who failed by doing this. But I think even Liton and others should learn about leadership. There is a difference between captaincy and leadership. Although there is not much for a captain to do on the field, there is a lot for a captain in Bangladesh to do off the field. Players tend to be disturbed when faced with problems regarding family, personal issues, lack of form, differences with coaches and fitness issues, so there are a lot of aspects. It's important for the captain to take responsibility both on and off the field.
Q: Evaluate your captaincy?
MM: Obviously, thanks to Almighty for the 50th win as a captain, as it would never have been possible without that and this is the main reason. I have never evaluated myself and if pressed, I would say average and nothing else. I have never seen the captaincy as a special thing.
Q: Did you feel anything different when you were at the field leading the team today?
MM: No, I was concerned about not making mistakes, although we had a big total. Whenever you call it a day in any aspect, there is always a high chance for mistakes as the person calling it a day knows there will be no evaluation after this. I was always trying to do my job.
Q: Under which coach have you enjoyed your time most as captain?
MM: Obviously, Bangladesh is an international team and every coach has that ability, and if you want me to mention one, I will name Chandika Hathurusingha. Many might think he was the reason I quit T20Is, but that is not the case. Jamie Siddons played a great role as a batting coach behind the success of Shakib [Al Hasan], Tamim [Iqbal], and Mushfiqur [Rahim] and others. Hathurusingha took Bangladesh to a certain stage and, as I said before, this is not the time of experiment in Bangladesh cricket. It will be important to see where Bangladesh goes after Hathurusingha took the side to a certain stage.
Q: Being the most successful bowler for Bangladesh, do you want to bow out as a Bangladesh cricketer from the field of play?
MM: That is the hope, definitely. But as I said before, I don't think about such things as I was not prepared for what I received today. Even with Sachin Tendulkar, who retired from the field, people only talked about it for one day. So, it'sis nothing special for me.