Mashrafe to quit captaincy if BCB wants

Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza on Monday said he will relinquish the role of captaincy if Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wants him to do so, reports UNB.

Mashrafe played his last international game during the World Cup 2019 in England and Wales. Since then, he has been out of action and remained busy with political activities until the Bangabandhu Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) began last month.

"I'm ready to quit the captaincy anytime if the board wants me to do so," Mashrafe said while replying a question from reporters about this retirement and captaincy at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday after the last match of his BPL team Dhaka Platoon.

He also placed the ball in the court of the selectors when asked about his future as a cricketer of the national team. He said, "I've cleared it earlier that I'll go according to the plan of the selectors."

The talks regarding Mashrafe's retirement came to the fore right after his decision to drop out from the central contract of the national players. BCB president Nazmul Hassan on Sunday said he opted to stay out of the central contract and he wants a newcomer to take his place.

"To pave the way for a new guy, I opted not to renew my central contract. We'll play in the next World Cup after three years. So, I think a new player should be awarded the central contract so that he can understand his responsibilities and go accordingly," Mashrafe told the media.

While his international future is under the cloud, he is determined to continue playing in domestic cricket- Dhaka League, BPL and other leagues.

"There're at least 80 players who have been playing in the BPL. Do you think every one of them is targeting the national team? I don't think so. I'm still enjoying my game and I want to continue playing in domestic cricket," he further added.

Mashrafe applauded the board for its decision to increase the match fees for international matches. As per the latest salary hike, a player will get Tk 200,000 for a T20 International, Tk 300,000 for an ODI and Tk 600,000 for a Test match.

"It's a good decision. The players who play in all three formats will get a substantial amount of match fees. Even those who play only Tests will also get a good amount. I think it'll increase the responsibilities of the players to do well," Mashrafe said.