New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board will try to persuade former skipper Mashrafe Mortaza to return to T20 international cricket following his retirement from the format last year.
The BCB will request Mortaza to play in the T20 Tri-series which includes hosts Sri Lanka and India. The Bangladesh team has won only one out of their previous 13 games and the last win came in Mortaza’s farewell match.
BCB president Nazmul Hasan believes Mortaza is still the best new ball bowler in the country, having led the Rangpur Riders to BPL title last year with an economy of 6.74 which was the best in the competition.
“There's no doubt that he is our best new-ball bowler. Everyone has told me that he will listen to me. I can't put him under pressure. I can tell him if he agrees but everything depends on Mashrafe,” said BCB chairman
“I told him to play in this (Sri Lanka) series... I didn't force him. He said he wanted to play Test cricket which is why the discussion didn't progress," he added.
Mortaza return from retirement and Shakib’s comeback from injury will help Bangladesh fill the void left by former coach Chandika Haturusingha and the team forward till they find his replacement.
Mortaza announced his retirement in February last year to provide opportunities to young talent and focus on the longest format of the game. He is still a key player in the whites and continues to lead the national side in the 50-over format.