The icon player of Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 franchise Sylhet Strikers, Mashrafe bin Mortaza said he would give his all to help his side clinch the premier T20 tournament of the country for the first time.
The former Bangladesh captain said this during the logo unveiling ceremony of the Strikers, who will take part in the upcoming ninth edition of BPL under the new ownership of Future Sports Bangladesh Limited.
“I am confident I will give my 100% effort. I will try my best Inshallah…it is true Sylhet have never been champions. Sometimes they played well, other times they didn’t. Therefore since the beginning of our talks, we have discussed that the team management should be strong, along with the core of the team. We have tried our best. Now it all depends what players we get in the auction. Discipline and on-field performance, these things matter. With that said, we can understand better when we play as a team,” said Mashrafe to the media at Hotel Sonargaon Wednesday.
The 43-day long BPL will get underway on January 5 next year with the grand finale scheduled for February 16.
In search of their maiden title, Sylhet has undergone a number of ownership changes in the past and Mashrafe urged the new owners to keep faith on the team hailing from the famous tea garden with an eye on the long run.
“We are hopeful, everything is going according to our plans Alhamdulilah. The owners tried hard to construct the team with their budget. We have seen big ambitions before, but they could never stay for a long time. But I am optimistic the new owners will be there for a long time and help Bangladesh cricket in the process,” said Mashrafe.
Sarwar Chowdhury, chairman of Future Sports Bangladesh Ltd, is the owner of the Strikers while Helal been Yousuf is the managing director.
The five directors of the side are Jaglul Huda Mitu, Md Naeem Khandaker, Imam Hasan, Rajib Khan and Saifur Raja Chowdhury.
The names of the four foreign cricketers – Pakistan pacer Mohammad Amir, Sri Lanka all-rounders Thisara Perera and Kamindu Mendis and Lankan batter Dhananjaya de Silva - were also announced in the logo-unveiling program.
The four recruits were registered as direct signings before the players’ auction.
The north-eastern outfit meanwhile, also revealed its coaching staff and team management comprising Nafees Iqbal (team manager), Rajin Saleh (assistant and batting coach), Najmul Islam (assistant coach), Syed Rasel (fast bowling coach), Murad Khan (spin bowling coach), Dollar Mahmud and Rasel Ahmed (fielding coach), Yakub Chowdhury (trainer), Zahurul Haque Ujjal (physio), Kazi Masuk Al Bari (logistics manager) and Minhaz Uddin Khan (media/commercial manager).
