Mashrafe leaves ODI captaincy
The 3rd ODI between Bangladesh and Zimbabwe will be his last as a captain.
Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Mortaza announced that he will not continue as Bangladesh captain after the Zimbabwe series.
The 3rd ODI which is going to take place on Friday at Sylhet will be his last as the captain of the National team.
Mashrafe announced this at a pre-match press conference in Sylhet. However, he wants to keep playing for the national outfit and not considering retirement.
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"I am stepping down as the skipper of the Bangladesh ODI team, I am retiring from the position. Tomorrow's match against Zimbabwe is my last as captain. I will try to do my best as a player if I get the opportunity," Mashrafe said.
Mashrafe added, "I give my best wishes to the next captain. I believe that Almighty willing he will take Bangladesh cricket team to the next step. If I am in the team, I will try to help him to the fullest with the experience I have gained over the years."
Mashrafe went to thank the board, the players and the fans for their support.
"I thank the board for letting me be the skipper for this long. I thank all the players who have played in the Bangladesh team under my leadership. I am sure this journey of 5-6 years has not been easy. I thank everyone in the team management, under whom I have played, I have captained, they have helped me dearly throughout the time. My captaincy started with Chandika Hathurusinghe, then there was Khaled Mahmud Sujon, Steve Rhodes and now it ends with Russell Domingo. I thank everyone in the board for their overall co-operation. I also thank the media, you have helped a lot. And last but not the least, I thank the supporters of the Bangladesh team. You are the heart of Bangladesh cricket, nothing could have been possible without you," he expressed his gratitude.
Mashrafe Mortaza captained Bangladesh in 87 matches winning 49 of them. Statistically, he is the most successful captain in Bangladesh ODI cricket history.
Earlier, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Nazmul Hassan said that they will look for a new captain for the national team after the Zimbabwe series.
