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Mashrafe Mortaza bows out as Bangladesh ODI skipper

Under Mortaza, Bangladesh played 87 ODI matches in which they ended up on the winning side on 49 occasions while losing just 36- an unmatched record in Bangladesh Cricket.

Mashrafe Mortaza bows out as Bangladesh ODI skipper

Mashrafe Mortaza. (Photo: Twitter/@ICC)

In a recent announcement, Mashrafe Mortaza has revealed that he will step down as the skipper of the Bangladesh ODI team after the conclusion of the ongoing series against Zimbabwe.

The 36-year-old cricketer, who was attending a press conference prior to the commencement of the third ODI against Zimbabwe, stated the same in a statement to the press.  The step is being taken to build a team keeping in mind the 2023 World Cup.

Mortaza’s decision to step down from the role of captain post-Friday’s match will definitely bring an end to one of the most successful phases of Bangladesh’s 50-over cricket.

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Mashrafe Mortaza, who made his debut for the national team way back in 2001, was first named the ODI captain in 2010. However, it was not until 2014 that he was given a prolonged stint as skipper and the results started to show almost immediately as he led his team to the first-ever knockout stage in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015.

However, that was just the beginning and Bangladesh a major force to reckon with under Mortaza as they made their way to the semifinals of the Champions Trophy and gradually as Bangladesh started winning more matches against top-ranked teams, they were no longer labelled upsets but a result that they deserved because of their hard work.

Overall under Mortaza, Bangladesh played 87 ODI matches in which they ended up on the winning side on 49 occasions while losing just 36- an unmatched record in Bangladesh Cricket.

Mortaza will be leading his side for the 88th time on Friday against Zimbabwe and would try his best to steer his side to win and take his record to 50 wins as captain.

Mortaza’s shoes would be massive ones to fill as captain but Bangladesh need to carry forward his legacy and live up to and carry forward the tag being of one of the formidable forces in world cricket.

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