Pre-planned or spur of the moment?

Was it a sudden disclosure that Mashrafe Bin Mortaza made yesterday at the Sylhet International Stadium?

There is a precedent of the dramatic announcement in Mashrafe's career as the inspirational skipper had announced his retirement from T20 Internationals at the toss of the first T20I between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in Colombo in April 2017, which was followed by a statement on his official Facebook page.

It had been then said that there were some issues which had forced him to bid T20I cricket goodbye and that was a big surprise for millions of fans.

The scenario might not be the same as in 2017, but still there was some curiosity over whether Bangladesh's most successful ODI skipper would suddenly step down as captain as nobody could guess that Mashrafe was going to make the announcement on the eve of the third and final ODI against Zimbabwe.

So, it was something of a surprise for everyone yesterday, especially as uncertainty has prevailed regarding the future of Mashrafe in Bangladesh cricket since a disappointing ICC World Cup campaign in England last year.

Mashrafe walked towards the press conference area with a page in his hand and it was not until he said that he would announce something ahead of the pre-match press conference yesterday that anyone had a clue of what was to come. And then he finally said it, it's over for captain fantastic!

Had Mashrafe made up his mind before going to Sylhet or did he overcome all the confusion about his future as captain following some internal discussions during the series, after his outburst before the first ODI?

One thing was however understood -- all the happenings surrounding him played a big role in him calling it a day as captain.

The whispers about his retirement have been doing the rounds after the dismal World Cup campaign, with many thinking that the inspirational cricketer should have announced his retirement in the last game against Pakistan at Lord's. There was also a lot of criticism over his fitness and performance.

There had also been talk about whether Mashrafe wanted to call time at home in front of his people and family, but it was an issue shrouded in suspense as there were no fifty-over series since he missed out on the Sri Lanka tour in August last year at the last moment due to injury.

Mashrafe himself fueled the criticism by stating that if he does not remain as ODI captain, he will continue playing as a cricketer and even said that his recent performance does not justify selection.

But it was on February 19 this year when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan strongly hinted the ODI series against Zimbabwe would be the last for Mashrafe as captain.

And since then, the Mashrafe issue once again took centre stage and the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe emerged to be the ending of the entire saga. The media personnel were curious to follow every move from Mashrafe since he joined the side in Sylhet on February 28 and were desperate to get his views on whether this series would be his last.

The situation reached such an extent that Mashrafe uncharacteristically lost his cool in response to a question during a pre-match press conference ahead of the series.

Perhaps even Mashrafe felt bad for reacting to the question as he called that reporter the next day and said it was nothing personal towards him, but a general comment on what has been going on over his captaincy in recent times. And the most interesting part was that a jolly and fun-loving Mashrafe did not, even for a brief moment, look subdued nor changed his nature towards his teammates or the media over the next few days

But he probably sensed that it would be better to clear the air regrading captaincy when there has even been talk about prolonging his captaincy role after the series victory against Zimbabwe.

MASH'S STATS AS CAPTAIN

Test: 1, W- 1, L- 0, NR- 0, Win- 100%; ODIs: 87, W- 49, L- 36, NR- 2, Win- 56.32%

T20Is: 28, W- 10, L- 17, NR- 1, Win- 35.71%

Series records as ODI captain (current tenure, since Nov, 2014):

Bilateral series: 15, W- 10, L- 4, D- 1; Tri-nations series: 3, W- 1, L- 2

Bangladesh's record in major 50-over tournaments under Mashrafe:

ICC World Cup: Appearances- 2, Best result: Quarterfinal (2015)

ICC Champions Trophy: Appearances- 1, Best result: Semifinal (2017)

Asia Cup: Appearances- 1, Best result: Runners-up (2018)