Bangladesh limited-over captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza’s pre-match press conference at the M Chinnaswamy stadium yesterday was unlike any other presser witnessed in recent times.
Mashrafe walked into the conference room with disappointment clearly showing in his face. It was
evident that he was still finding it difficult to cope with the suspensions of team mates Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny, who were barred from bowling in international cricket by the International Cricket Council.
Almost everyone present in the room could see the helplessness in Mashrafe’s trembling eyes. But the determined cricketer that is Mashrafe, he did manage to control his emotions during the intense presser which lasted 25 minutes.
Upon the conclusion of the conference, Mashrafe was on his way out of the room when the Bangladeshi sports journalists tried to encourage the Tigers skipper and his charges by wishing the best of luck.
And that’s when the “Narail Express” broke down in tears.
He immediately went inside another room so as not to show his crying face to the media. But, a few of us did see tears in his eyes, which in turn created a sombre atmosphere around us.
It was only the second time Mashrafe broke down in tears in front of the media. The last time he cried was just before the 2011 World Cup, on January 20, when he was dropped from the final squad due to injury.
And this time, Mashrafe minced no words. He repeatedly said in the presser that Taskin and Sunny have been the victims of injustice. He also reiterated his belief that Taskin’s bowling action is perfectly legal.
“I am not worried about my career. May be I have said some strong words in the press conference. But, if I am not able to stand beside the youngster (Taskin), who will give service to the Bangladesh team in the next 10-15 years? What is the point of remaining captain then?” a teary-eyed Mashrafe told the media.
“When two of your family members face such kind of trouble, the amount of pain we feel, I am feeling the same for my players now,” he added.
The Bangladesh cricketers did train yesterday but the dejection was clearly visible in them too. Sunny was present in the practice session but Taskin remained at his hotel room, probably wondering what has hit him suddenly.
It was learned that the 20-year old fast bowler broke into tears right after hearing about his suspension. Immediately, Mashrafe, along with some other senior members of the side, tried to calm him down.
On the eve of the Australia clash, the Bangladesh team have encountered a major blow in the shape of the bowling duo’s suspensions. But you never know, this particular sense of injustice might just inspire the Tigers to take the field and answer the critics in the best way possible; a passionate performance against the Aussies.