Bangladesh Captain Mashrafe Mortaza Says World Cup 2019 Will Be His Last
Mashrafe Mortaza will be playing the fifth ICC World Cup for Bangladesh.
Highlights
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Mortaza will be playing his 5th and final World Cup
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He made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2001
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Mortaza has picked 18 wickets in World Cups
Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza has declared that the forthcoming 2019 World Cup in England and Wales will be the last time he will participate in a World Cup. The 35-year-old, who made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in 2001, has been representing Bangladesh in the World Cups since 2003 and it will be the fifth time he will be donning his nation's colours for the quadrennial event.
"This is definitely my last World Cup. I have to perform as a player, and of course, my role as captain is going to be important too. I have to fulfil my duties, but there's nothing more I can do. I don't have any personal goals. I never want to take any extra pressure,” Mashrafe was quoted as saying by icc-cricket.com.
“I am a believer in luck, so what is meant to happen, will happen. It's also not that I will do any extra preparation. It's just another big tournament for us and we want to play well to make it memorable. Nothing is impossible, but it will be very important for us to handle the ups and downs,” he added.
The bowling all-rounder has had an illustrious career for the Bangladesh cricket team, spanning 205 ODIs where he's taken 259 wickets, with a bowling average of 31.71 and an economy rate of 4.8. He has played 16 matches in the World Cups, taking 18 wickets at an economy of 4.94, his best figures being 4-38 coming against India in 2007.
After two warm-up matches against Pakistan and India, Bangladesh will kick-start their 2019 World Cup campaign against South Africa at The Oval on June 2.
Mashrafe Mortaza
Bangladesh Cricket Team