Sports
Mashrafe Mortaza Mashrafe excluded from 24-member initial squad
Dhaka, January 4: After leaving the leadership, Mashrafe bin Murtaza lost his place in the squad. The country's most successful bowler did not get a place in Bangladesh's preliminary squad for the ODI series against the West Indies.
Mashrafe has been out of the team many times due to injuries. However, this is the first time he has been dropped in his long career.
The BCB on Monday announced a 24-man preliminary squad for the series against the Caribbeans. Later in the press conference, Chief Selector Minhazul Abedin said that Mashrafe has been left out due to the joint decision of the team management, selection committee and all.
Bangladesh last played an ODI against Zimbabwe in March. Shafiul Islam is the only other member of the 16-member squad who played the last ODI of the that series, apart from Mashrafe. The pacer is currently out due to injury.
Batsman Yasir Ali Rabbi, off-spinning all-rounder Mehdi Hasan, two young pacers, Hasan Mahmud and Shariful Islam, left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed and batsman Parvez Hossain Emon, who set the record for the fastest century for the country in the recent Bangabandhu T20 Cup, have been named in the preliminary squad. Senior pacer Taskin Ahmed has also found a place in the preliminary squad.
Mashrafe bid farewell to the leadership with the last series against Zimbabwe. Since then, there has been a lot of talk about the future of the career of the country's most successful ODI captain. Mashrafe has said several times during and after leaving the leadership that he wants to continue the game. Even if he is not included in the national team, he will play domestic cricket.
Mashrafe had been ruled out of the President's Cup ODI tournament due to a hamstring injury. He was not in the Bangabandhu T20 Cup at the beginning due to that injury. Later he took part after clearing the fitness test.
Jamcon managed Mashrafe's service after winning him in the lottery. He also took the team to the final with a 5-wicket haul in the first qualifier. However, that performance was not enough to change the mindset of the selectors-team management with the national team.
Preliminary ODI team: Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mohammad Mithun, Liton Kumar Das, Mahmudullah, Afif Hassan, Mosaddek Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Yasir Ali, Mohammad Naeem Sheikh, Taskin Ahmed, Al Amin Hossain, Shariful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Saif Uddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Miraj, Taizul Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mehedi Hasan and Rubel Hossain.
