All of a sudden there was this rush to push me out, says Mortaza

Dhaka, June 5 (IANS) Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has said there was a rush to push him out of the team and into retirement after enduring a lean patch. Mortaza said he was not even offered a farewell match.

“Firstly, they had to arrange a match to bid me farewell and it was not a normal match — a normal bilateral series is something and arranging a special match in a hurry is something else,” he told ‘Cricbuzz’.

“Secondly, they were prepared to spend BDT 2 crore for that match. From an ethical point of view it is not right considering our first-class cricket players are not getting paid enough,” he added.

“Honestly speaking, it seemed that there was a rush to bid me farewell and it was certainly hurting,” Mortaza said.

Mortaza, 36, did not have a great 2019 World Cup.

“All of a sudden there was this rush to push me (out). All I know is that I have given my life to cricket even though I was torn apart and bleeding inside,” Mortaza said.

“If money was the main criteria, I could have done many things, more so when my career was troubled with so many injuries,” he said.

Asked why he stepped down from ODI captaincy, Mortaza said: “The (next) World Cup is still a little over three years away. So from now on, if BCB can name a proper captain for the World Cup, then it will be good for the Bangladesh team.

“The case is different as a player. Just two months before the 2011 World Cup, I was ruled out of the tournament (with an injury). So there is no guarantee for (playing just as) a player. Even the captain can have an injury, and it’s also a different case. But the cricket board always wants to have their best captain.

“In that case, it is a good opportunity. A lot of time is available for the (new) captain. Shakib (Al Hasan) is also in line. I think Tamim (Iqbal) will do very well, Insha’Allah, I am very optimistic. I am hopeful that Tamim will do well but if he doesn’t then the board will probably think of other options. So there is flexibility, as the cricket board is getting three long years in their hands. So my decision was based on those things.”

–IANS

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