After enjoying a brief break, Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza flew to England yesterday and is expected to reach London to join the Tigers for their upcoming ICC World Cup mission.
Mashrafe took a short break and returned to Bangladesh just after the Tigers’ won their maiden tri-nation series in Ireland by beating the West Indies in the final. The inspirational cricketer stayed for three days and spent some time with his family upon returning at midnight on Saturday.
Before flying for England yesterday, Mashrafe told reporters at the airport: “Everyone please pray for us. We will try to give our best. Please pray for us so that we can play well.”
According to the 35-year-old, the tri-nation win will certainly boost the confidence of the players. He also added that it would be important for Bangladesh to make a good start to the tournament.
“The confidence level of all the players is very good. But the tournament is different, so the start is very important. If we can start well, I am hopeful that we can do something good. It’s important,” said Mashrafe.
Although the Bangladesh team were in Leicester for a training camp, Mashrafe will fly directly to London to attend the captains’ official press conference, which comprises all ten captains of the participating teams.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team will travel to Cardiff today, where they will be placed under ICC protocol ahead of the World Cup. Tamim Iqbal, who travelled to Dubai after the tri-nation series to spend time with his family, is expected to join the team in there today.
On May 26 and 28, Bangladesh will face India and Pakistan respectively in official warm-up game in Cardiff. The team will then travel to London on May 29. Bangladesh will begin their World Cup campaign on June 2 against South Africa at The Oval in Kennington. The Tigers had reached the quarterfinals at the previous World Cup and they are hopeful of taking one step further under Mashrafe in what is surely the skipper’s last World Cup.
-With The Daily Star input
