Mashrafe Bin Mortaza who is the captain of Sylhet Strikers,  has decided to take a break from this season's Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) concentrate on his political career as he is appointed a whip in the 12th National Parliament.   "Mashrafe will be available to play for the Sylhet Strikers further this season's BPL if there is an opportunity in between his political commitments and schedule," a statement from Sylhet Strikers said on Wednesday (Jan 31).  In the absence of captain Mashrafe, Mohammad Mithun will lead the team as vice-captain. Sylhet have already lost all five the matches so far, Sylhet to play their next match against Durdanto Dhaka on February 2.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan both are in Sylhet to play the ongoing BPL (Bangladesh Premier League) match. For that reason the parliamentarians could not attend the maiden session.   The criceters are elected as MPs in the 12th national parliamentary Election, Shakib from Magura-1 and Mashrafe from Narail-2 constituency. However, The first session of the 12th National Parliament began on Tuesday (January 30) from 3 pm.  

Five members of Parliament (MPs), including Mashrafe bin Mortaza, have been appointed as whips in the Jatiya Sangsad. According a handout issued by the Parliament Secretariat on Tuesday (Jan 23), President Muhammad Shahabuddin designated Noor-i-Alam Chowdhury, an MP from Madaripur-1 constituency, as the Chief Whip of the 12th Parliament. In a separate notification, five MPs have been appointed as whips, with Mashrafe bin Mortaza representing Narail-2 constituency.   The other appointed whips are Iqbalur Rahim (Dinajpur-3), Abu Saeed Al Mahmud (Joypurhat-2), Md Nazrul Islam Babu (Narayanganj-2), and Saimum Sarwar Kamal (Cox's Bazar-3).   Among them, Iqbalur Rahim and Abu Saeed Al Mahmud previously served as whips in the 11th parliament.

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza finally was named captain for the Sylhet Strikers, ending a speculation over his participation in the tournament. He was the captain of the team in the last season when Sylhet ended up as runners up after losing the final to Comilla Victorians by seven wickets. But the fitness issue and Mashrafe's hectic schedule as the lawmaker of the country put a doubt on his participation. Moreover, Najmul Hossain Shanto's presence in Sylhet Strikers team was the other reason that gave a belief that he would be the captain of the side, considering the fact that he is leading the national team in absence of Shakib Al Hasan. But Sylhet eventually named Mashrafe the captain, considering his immense success in BPL as captain. He is the most successful captain in the BPL history, hoisting trophy for four times for three different franchisees. Mashrafe led Dhaka Gladiators twice (2012, 2013) to clinch the coveted trophy and then he won it for Comilla Victorians (2015) and Rangpur Riders (2017). Imarul Kayes was the other captain to lift the trophy thrice, all for Comilla Victorians. Mashrafe however made Sylhet Strikers a title contender from a mediocre team in the last seasons and came agonizingly close to win the trophy before losing it to a mighty Comilla Victorians. Shakib Al Hasan, who is also elected an MP in the recently concluded JS Polls, refused to take up Rangpur Riders captaincy. As a result Nurul Hasan Sohan, who led the side playoffs last season is retained the captain for this season also. Shakib joined Riders from Fortune Barishal. "We thought Shakib as the captain of our team this season but he himself informed us that he doesn't want to lead the side, so we announced Sohan as our captain," Rangpur CEO Ishtiak Sadek said yesterday after a practice match between Riders and Durdanto Dhaka. Liton Das was named captain for the defending champions Comilla, replacing its most successful captain Imrul Kayes. Kayes though had an envious record as captain, his batting form worried the franchisees in the last season. Anamul Haque Bijoy was announced as captain for Khulna Tigers, who formed a low budget team. Tamim Iqbal however will lead Fortune Barishal as the franchise is eying a BPL title. Mosaddek Hossain will lead Durdanto Dhaka while Shuvagata Hom is the skipper of Chattogram Challengers.  

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has won from the Narail-2 constituency on an Awami League ticket to retain the parliamentary seat. He bagged 189,102 votes from 147 centres after Sunday’s (Jan 7) voting, while his nearest rival Sheikh Hafizur Rahman got 4,041 votes, according to unofficial results. A third candidate, Mohammad Nur Islam, managed 1,363 votes.   An elated Mashrafe, who’s led Bangladesh in cricket, thanked the people on Facebook. “Thank you, the people of Narail,” he wrote on his verified page.  

Bangladesh’s former captain and the right-arm pacer Mashrafe Bin Mortaza scalped five wickets conceding 35 runs, his best in the format, and guided his team Gemcon Khulna to a 47-run win over Gazi Group Chattogram on Monday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium. With this win, Khulna marched to the final of the Bangabandhu T20 Cup 2020. While Khulna booked a place in the final, Chattogram will have to face Beximco Dhaka in the Qualifier 2 for another chance. Khulna batted first in this game losing the toss and posted 210 runs riding on 80 by Jahurul Islam. In reply, Chattogram lost Soumya Sarkar early which was a big blow for them. In the last ball of the over, Soumya tried to clear Masrhafe through the deep-midwicket area, but Shamim Hossain took an easy catch to dismiss the southpaw. Mashrafe hit again when he removed Liton Das during his second over. Liton tried to slog and chopped it onto the stumps. In the third wicket stand, Mohammad Mithun and Mahmudul Hasan added 73 runs, which has created a chance for Chattogram to make a comeback to the race to win the game. But going to 138 from 100, Khulna lost both of Mithun and Mahmudul, and they couldn’t recover from this damage anymore. While Mahmudul posted 31 off 27, Mithun scored 53 off 35 balls with three fours and as many as sixes. Mosaddek Hossain (17) and Shamsur Rahman (18) showed some resistance, but that wasn’t enough for Chattogram to seal this game. They eventually tumbled for 163 for all wicket in 20 overs and lost the game by 47 runs. For Khulna, Mashrafe bagged five wickets conceding 35 runs while Hasan Mahmud and Ariful Haque took two wickets each conceding 35 and 26 runs respectively. Earlier, Khulna posted a challenging total of 210 runs for seven in 20 overs. Jahurul led the charge posting 80 off 51 balls with five fours and four sixes. His opening partner Zakir Hasan, however, failed to do well this time, adding only 16 off 22 balls. Zakir was trapped run-out during the 10th over of the innings. Imrul Kayes came at number three and posted 25 off 12 balls with three fours and one six. Despite a good start, he failed to continue, the same was for Shakib Al Hasan, who posted 28 off 15 balls with two fours and as many as sixes. In his short stay in the middle, Mahmudullah Riyad posted 30 off only nine balls with two fours and three sixes. Mahmudullah was removed by the leg-spinner Sanjit Saha. For Chattogram, Mustafizur Rahman bagged two wickets conceding 31 runs while Sanjit Saha and Mosaddek Hossain took one wicket each. Chattogram will now face Beximco Dhaka in the second Qualifier of the event on December 15 at 4:30pm. Dhaka beat Fortune Barishal in the Eliminator to advance to the second Qualifier. Source: UNB AH

Bangladesh former national team captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, who tested positive for coronavirus two days ago, has been doing well. Some media reports suggested on Monday noon that the former captain and Parliament Member's health condition worsened due to the virus, but a family member of Mashrafe said he is doing well. "Bhaia is doing well. He has been suffering from asthma for a long time. So we were scared about it as coronavirus is more deadly for the people who have asthma. But he is doing well. He has no symptoms other than little cough and fever," Morsalin Bin Mortaza, Mashrafe's younger brother, told UNB. Earlier, Tamim Iqbal's elder brother Nafis Iqbal and national team left-arm spinner Nazmul Islam Apu have also been tested positive. Nazmul's parents also tested positive for coronavirus. While his mother is doing well, his father is showing some complications as he has the heart-related problem. As per the latest update, 1,15,786 Bangladeshis tested positive and 1502 died from coronavirus in the country. Source: UNB AH

Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was diagnosed with coronavirus on Saturday.   Confirming the information, family sources said he is undergoing treatment in Dhaka. “He has been suffering from fever for two days. Covid-19 test was conducted on Friday and we got the result today. He has been found positive. He's now staying in isolation at home in Dhaka. Please pray for him," Masrhafe’s younger brother Morsalin Bin Mortaza told UNB. Earlier on May 18, Mashrafe sold his favourite bracelet at Tk 42 lakh in an online auction for the treatment of Covid-19 patients.   The entire money earned from the sale of the bracelet will go to Mashrafe’s ‘Narail Express Foundation’. From there, the money will be spent for people affected by coronavirus pandemic.   Earlier on May 12, Mashrafe, an MP from Narail-2 constituency, sought an intensive care unit (ICU) for Narail Sadar Hospital from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to face the coronavirus crisis.   He was working in his constituency during the pandemic.   Bangladesh has so far reported 1,08,775 coronavirus cases and 1,425 deaths. Source: UNB AH

Ahead of the third and final ODI of three-match series against Zimbabwe, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza announced his end as the captain of Bangladesh ODI team on Thursday at Sylhet International Stadium. The 36-year-old pacer said the last ODI of the series will be his last as the captain of Bangladesh. He, however, told the media that he will continue to playing for the Tigers if the selectors give him chance in the ODI team in future. “The last match of the series (will be played on Friday) is my last ODI as Bangladesh’s captain. I will not be Bangladesh’s captain any longer. However, I will continue playing for Bangladesh,” Mashrafe told the media. Mashrafe took over the captaincy for the second time back in 2014. Since then, he led the Tigers in 87 ODIs with winning 49 matches till the date. He is the only Bangladeshi captain who led Bangladesh in two 50-over World Cup. Along with ODI captaincy, Mashrafe led the Tigers in one Test and 28 T20Is as well. In total, he led Bangladesh in 116 international games and won 60 of them. Mashrafe captained Bangladesh for the first time in a Test against West Indies back in 2009 at Kingstown. He, however, couldn’t finish that game due to an injury. Shakib Al Hasan led the Tigers in the remaining parts of that game. In his first stint as the captain, Mashrafe led Bangladesh in 18 international games starting from July 2009 to October 2010. He got the captaincy back for the second and final stint in 2014. But this time only for limited-over cricket. Mashrafe announced his retirement from T20Is in 2017, and Shakib became the new T20Is captain. Eventually, Mashrafe was Bangladesh’s captain only in ODIs. There were many talks about Mashrafe’s retirement at the start of the ongoing series against Zimbabwe. But the right-arm pacer never revealed his future plan. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also manifested that they are not expecting Mashrafe as Bangladesh’s captain anymore aiming to hand over the rule to a new one who can lead the Tigers till the next World Cup. Now the ball is in BCB’s court. They will decide who will lead the Tigers in ODIs now. There are some names as the future captain. Mahmudullah Riyad and Mushfiqur Rahim are among them, as a close source from BCB told UNB preferring anonymity. “It was a good move that Mashrafe cleared the air deciding his future. He has done a lot for Bangladesh cricket. Now, the time has come for a new one who can guide the Tigers to the future. BCB already started to ponder about the new captain. Mahmudullah and Mushfiqur are among the few names,” the source told UNB. Source: UNB AH

Ending all speculations, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hassan Papon revealed that Mashrafe Bin Mortaza will play the three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe and will play the role of captaincy for one last time. The BCB president said after this series, Bangladesh will move on for a new ODI captain, under whom the board wants the team to be regrouped well for the 2023 World Cup. “We need to setup the team with next world cup in focus and thus we need a captain. We want the team to play at least two years under the new captain before going into the World Cup. So we need to declare a new captain very soon. That might be decided in the next board meeting,” Papon said in the capital on Wednesday. Papon also made it clear that it is entirely Mashrafe’s decision as to whether he would continue as player or retire from the cricket but if he continues to play cricket, he would have to show his performance like other players. “If he wants to play, he can play, subject to his performance. At this moment we are thinking just about captaincy. We had seen that the famous players announced their retirement earlier before any series. We also had a desire to give Mashrafe a grand farewell but he does not want it to be,” he added. Mashrafe’s future was in dark, following the lanky pace bowler’s decision of not retiring from the cricket after the World Cup, despite the insistence of the BCB who wanted to give him a grand farewell, considering his contribution for the country’s cricket. In the World Cup Mashrafe took just one wicket in eight matches, putting a question mark on his career. It was clear that BCB wanted Mashrafe to retire from the ODI cricket, an only version of the cricket he is playing at the moment. But Mashrafe remained silent and subsequently opted him out from the Bangladesh’s tour of Sri Lanka for three-match ODI series due to his hamstring injury. As Bangladesh didn’t play any ODI cricket after this, there was stalemate on this issue. Later, breaking the silence, Mashrafe announced that he won’t retire at this moment and would like to prove his fitness to play in the national team. He also said that he is not inclined to get any grand farewell what BCB promised. However a few days ago, both Mashrafe and head coach Russell Domingo and later Mashrafe and BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon met exclusively to decide on his future. Papon then had a meeting with three senior cricketers –Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mominul Haque at BCB officer on Wednesday and came out to declare that Mashrafe is about to play his last ODI series as captain. “We know that it’s the time for him to decide about his future. I think Mashrafe will play the series against Zimbabwe and he will be in the team, subject to his fitness. If he isn’t fit then it’s other thing,” the BCB president said. “He is still the captain of Bangladesh ODI team and so he will play as the captain of the team.” Papon said it is tough to get a captain like Mashrafe right at the moment. “At this moment, we don’t have anyone like Mashrafe to lead the side. It’s true and we are telling this repeatedly.” But the BCB chief is apprehensive about Mashrafe’s ability to pass the beep test, a test which determines the players’ fitness. “In our cricket, some changes have already come. We have introduced beep Test to determine the players’ fitness. Mashrafe may not pass the beep Test. But at the same time, we have to remember his contribution for our country’s cricket,” Papon said, adding that they relaxed the matter of beep test in case of Mashrafe at this moment. “His captaincy is very important for us. At this moment we relaxed the beep test for him.” Source: BSS AH