Mashrafe Mortaza held forth to media about his plans after a practice session on the eve of the Asia Cup final against India, saying that he did not want to stick around in cricket after the year 2016. The 32-year-old Mashrafe had made his debut in 2001, and is the most experienced player in the Bangladesh side.
Mashrafe has led his country to a golden period in their history, and will be leaving Bangladesh cricket in a safe position of ascendancy. As proof of the times, they have qualified for the Asia Cup final over Sri Lanka and Pakistan, rather unsurprisingly.
Asked if he has set any targets like playing the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy or 2018 World T20, Mashrafe said, "I don't think so. One thing is for sure, I will not be playing for a long time. By the grace of Almighty, if I am fit, then I intend to play this whole 2016.
“I have always been an instinctive person. Whenever I take the big decision, my teammates will know about it before my family as it is a cricketing decision. When I take any decision, will make sure that it is convenient for everyone.”
Deserved more chances in IPL: Mashrafe
Mashrafe had first come into the spotlight in 2004 when his economical spell of two for 36 in 10 overs helped Bangladesh beat India for the first time in ODIs. His most famous performance came when he humiliated India in the ICC World Cup 2007 with a famous spell of four for 36, which sent India packing.
Mashrafe has caused a lot of pain to India over the years, but he requested that the two sets of fans do not deal with each other in a similar pain-inflicting way.
When asked about how he was looking forward to the final, and asked to comment on the nature of the build-up to the match, Mashrafe said, “Actually emotion is something which is difficult to check but a cricket match is not war for sure.
“One should know after matches, all the players stay in the same hotel, chat with each other, exchange pleasantries. So I personally don't like equating cricket with war. In Indian team, Yuvraj is a close friend, I share a good rapport with Harbhajan also."
Asked about whether he had any regrets, Mashrafe said that his stint in the IPL left a lot to be desired. He had bowled the most expensive spell of the 2009 IPL, bowling the final over of a match and conceding 21 runs – when Deccan Chargers had needed exactly 21 runs to win the match.
This was a blight on his IPL stay, and he was never given a chance again. Mashrafe said, “I went to the IPL 2 at my peak, but then Kolkata Knight Riders management gave me only one game. Maybe I deserved a bit more chance.”
