Consolidating in the times of coronavirus
"There are times when we back into a corner with no place left to back into … and then we go on attack and become mentally stronger," Mashrafe Bin Mortaza reminisced on his injury troubles -- seven knee surgeries and more -- during an online meet with Tamim Iqbal on Monday night.
The former ODI captain, however, was not keen on emphasising on the setbacks, instead he delved into a masterclass of where a captain's priorities lay. In essence, it was a hearty conversation between a great leader and his protégé, Tamim, the newly appointed ODI captain.
The former captain had fought tooth and nail to back his teammates during his tenure and the players will always remember the way Mashrafe stood up for them. Tamim underlined the emotion and respect by saying, 'for me, you will always be captain,' verifying Mash's contribution to the team.
"I don't know what I did or if it was something brazen or not, but I remember that you wrote in the bathroom with a marker the words 'you will score a ton after six months'. Why did you do such things with me?" asked Tamim.
A chat between two friends gives a reminder of the work and motivation that goes into the making of a team. There are many facets to captaincy and each captain has his own way of doing things. Mashrafe laid bare some facets from his bag of tricks.
"I think that in my life I haven't had as many disagreements with anyone else as I've had with you. On every matter we used to disagree but we will always be good friends," Mash revealed.
"Whatever I tell you, I say from my heart. Whatever I have said is for the sake of the team. If I said things just for you, that will be selfish. For the team, I wanted you to score runs," he added.
When suggested that Tamim be dropped from the next match, Mashrafe's response was: "If that happens, I will resign."
That kind of act leaves a mark. "You've always saved us and been there during our lowest point," Tamim remembered.
These are things that Mashrafe has not only done for Tamim alone, but the rest of the squad. These acts galvanised the team and Mashrafe did that by strengthening the individuals. The greatest challenge in Bangladesh cricket is to take on the mantle of leadership from a character of Mashrafe's stature and so far, Tamim has understood the essence of what he needs to accomplish.
In a time when cricket has come to a standstill, Tamim has not had the opportunity to naturally communicate his ideas with trainings and matches. Instead of sitting idle, he is consolidating the idea of togetherness under a new era with Mashrafe as a key example. Mashrafe has always inspired by helping people out and Tamim has come forward to help during the coronavirus crisis.
He has helped out sports personnel from other disciplines and brought about concerted effort from the national cricketers in order to fund those helping out in the crisis. He has also recognised that with little cricket going on, a cricketer also has to fulfil the requirement of being 'an entertainer'. So he arranged for chats with teammates to provide some relief to fans struck at home.
He was reaching out to senior members and also planning to have similar fun sessions with younger players like Rubel Hossain, Taskin Ahmed and others. These steps should matter to cohesion even as ultimately when the virus does recede, things will be evaluated through performances.
But there is the thing about process and Tamim is a believer in process over result. He also has Mashrafe's blessings in this regard. "You did not accept the leadership role too well in Sri Lanka but seeing your work and what you say now makes me believe you are on the right track," Mashrafe remarked and it is the biggest backing a protégé can hope for.
Comments