Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is one of the four Bangladesh cricketers to make their respective fourth appearance in the 50-over ICC Cricket World Cup. However, for Mashrafe, this edition of the mega event is going to be his last.
Since his international debut in 2001, Mashrafe has appeared for Bangladesh in World Cup 2003, 2007 and 2015. Approaching the end of his illustrious international career, Mashrafe said the 2019 edition will be his last World Cup and that, he has not done anything special to prepare.
“It is certainly my last World Cup but honestly I have not done anything special to prepare. It is a pressure tournament but I think it is not necessary to prepare differently. It doesn’t promise that you are going to perform well that way. I just need to do my basics right as a player. Captaincy is an important role to play and I will try to give my best so that I can play my roles well,” said Mashrafe at pre-departure press conference at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Monday.
Mashrafe, in his three World Cup appearances, played a total of 16 matches for the Tigers and bagged 18 wickets. The 2019 tournament could have been his fifth but injury did not allow Mashrafe to take part in the 2011 edition. Bangladesh had hosted the World event alongside India and Sri Lanka. Mashrafe came back strong following the 2011 World Cup and as a captain, guided Bangladesh to the quarter finals in the 2015 competition.
In this edition of the ICC mega event, Mashrafe will be leading one of the most experienced teams in the 10-nation tournament.
“Personally I have not set any target [from the team]. We are happy as long as the results are coming our way. I do not want to take any extra pressure. We will play with the belief that we took to Australia in 2015. I am a big believer of luck. We will need to work hard and it is important that we are ready for that,” added Mashrafe.
“At times, even the best of the teams did not win the tournament or did not qualify for the semis. We do not have the pressure that we need to win the World Cup or that, it’s a must for us to play the semifinals. We are eager to play well but you will not find any of the cricket analysts suggesting us to be favorites in the tournament. Being able to produce a result will help us build a better image, so we would like to perform well for that and grab anything that’s coming our way,” the Bangladesh captain explained.
