Bangladesh bowling coach Ottis Gibson said that Mashrafe Mortaza has done himself and his country proud with his outstanding international career, but now is the time for him to say goodbye to the sport.
Gibson suggested so as he doesn't see Mortaza in the scheme of things for the next 50-over World Cup to be held in India in 2023.
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The 36-year-old resigned from the ODI captaincy during Bangladesh's last home series against Zimbabwe this February this year but hasn’t revealed his future plans despite there were calls of him retiring from the game following his dismal show (1 wicket from 8 games) in the World Cup 2019.
Gibson, who joined Bangladesh in January 2020, believes that the head coach Russell Domingo has to look at several younger bowlers to build a team in the next three years and feels he isn’t making plan keeping Mortaza in things for World Cup 2023.
As per ESPNcricinfo, Gibson quoted as saying by Bengali daily Prothom Alo on Monday (May 18): “I think he (Mortaza) has had an outstanding international career. He has done himself and his country proud. With the next World Cup in 2023, any international coach will now start to build a team. I am quite sure that’s what Russell will be thinking.”
The bowling coach further added, “So, he would want to see players like young Hasan Mahmud, (Mohammad) Saifuddin, Shafiul (Islam), and Ebadot (Hossain.) We haven’t seen Ebadot in white-ball cricket yet. There’s Taskin (Ahmed) and Khaled (Ahmed) gets fit again.
We have Hasan and (Mehedi Hasan) Rana. So, there’s a lot of young cricketers in the country. I think if Russell is now trying to build a team for the future, then I don’t know what part Mashrafe will have to play in that. Perhaps now is his time, with all that’s going on in the world, to move on.”
Gibson signed off by saying, “He (Mortaza) can find other ways to pass on his vast knowledge and experience to the young guys. I don’t think he has to be on the field to be able to pass on what he has learned over his career. He needs to find other ways to pass on that message.”
Noteworthy, Mortaza has represented Bangladesh in 220 ODIs and has scalped 270 wickets so. He has also played 36 Tests and 54 T20Is in which he took 78 and 42 wickets respectively.
(With ESPNcricinfo Inputs)
