Pace bowler Mashrafee bin Murtaza announced on Tuesday that he is willing to take any risk to feature in the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 if it is required by the national team.
Mashrafee was ruled out of the Asia Cup after sustaining a side strain during the match against India, raising doubts about his availability for the global event, which starts on March 16.
Mashrafee has still not completely recovered from the injury despite having received injections to minimize the pain, and he only just started bowling again recently under a managed workload.
‘If I am asked to play for the Bangladesh cricket team I can take even a 100 per cent risk,’ Mashrafee told reporters at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Tuesday.
‘For this T20 World Cup, everyone has expectations and even I have a need to fill personally,’ said Mashrafee.
‘I want to play in everything, and during the last three days I bowled 10 overs in the nets so it is feeling good.’
‘It is much better than the first day when I got hurt and the pain has decreased a lot.’
Mashrafee underwent a fitness test in front of team management on Tuesday and has raised his effort level while bowling in the nets to 80 per cent.
‘In the last two-three months I am weighing around 78 to 79 kg without gaining or losing weight,’ said Mashrafee.
‘I have come out of the proper diet now so that I get energy. But the good part is that I am not gaining weight, and if that happens it will be good because my main injury is on the knees,’ he added.
The desire to participate in this edition of the ICC tournament is even greater for the Narail Express after he was left off the 15-man squad for the ICC World Cup in 2011 due to a right knee injury sustained while he was playing club cricket.
‘Honestly speaking, I experienced the worst feeling not playing in the 2011 World Cup as it was a bigger.’
‘T20 has no similarity to the 50-over World Cup, but it’s happening in such a place that 20 crore people have expectations.’
If I play I will play my best, just because everyone expects me to play. I want to play well. I will give in my 100 per cent,’ he added.
If Mashrafee proves fit he will be set to appear in his fifth ICC World Twenty20 tournament for Bangladesh, having played in all four previous editions.
-With New Age input
