Media instigated Mashrafe: Hassan
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan yesterday said that media personnel went a bit too far during the pre-match press conference on Saturday, when Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza reacted angrily to one particular question.
During the pre-match press conference on the eve of the first Bangladesh-Zimbabwe ODI in Sylhet, a reporter had asked about Mashrafe's 'sense of self-respect' during a question about him continuing to play despite declining form. A visibly irritated Mashrafe responded by saying that he was not a thief and had nothing to be ashamed of.
"Seeing his press conference I felt that you people instigated him too much. This is the time when you should have been more supportive, but instead you hurt him. We should not be discussing anything about it. He already made clear what he wants," said Hassan during a press-conference in Sylhet yesterday.
Mashrafe's captaincy and place in the team has generated a lot of speculation, especially after the 36-year-old led the Tigers to an eighth-place finish in the World Cup last summer.
Mashrafe, who took two wickets yesterday against Zimbabwe in Sylhet, etched his name in the records book as he became only the fifth player to have scalped 100 ODI wickets as captain.
"The board will decide who will become captain. And when he [Mashrafe] retires is his decision. So let him decide," concluded Hassan.
Mash's '100' as captain
Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza entered an elite club, becoming the fifth bowler in ODI history to bag 100 wickets as captain.
He entered a coveted list with only Imran Khan, Wasim Akram, Shaun Pollock and most recently West Indies captain Jason Holder for company. Mashrafe had been waiting on the brink of clinching the record for a long time, having scalped 97 before the 2019 World Cup. However, his dismal record in the World Cup, where he managed a solitary wicket saw his record delayed and he missed the tour of Sri Lanka through injury.
All eyes were on the Bangladesh captain before the start of the series against Zimbabwe yesterday and he clinched his first wicket since the World Cup with the wicket of Chamu Chibhabha after nearly eight months. He then went on to bag the last Zimbabwe wicket to fall, finishing with figures of 2 for 35 and in the process also bagging the unique record.
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