The current disturbing situation in Bangladesh has shocked the whole of Asia, as in a wave of violence in the last few days following the resignation and departure of their Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza’s house was set on fire in Monday (August 05).
The massive student protests had been going on in the country for a long time, and once Hasina left the country, the unrest situation erupted. The local newspaper- Dhaka Tribune- has reported that the vandals targeted MP Mashrafe Mortaza’s residence, making a significant change.
In the success of Bangladesh cricket, the contribution of the former all-rounder is immense, as he led the side in the 2015 ODI World Cup that faced India in the quarter-final. They got the better of the Indian team in the home ODI series before defeating the South African side in the same year.
Mashrafe Mortaza’s house set on fire in the current violence in Bangladesh
After taking his retirement from all forms of cricket, Mashrafe Mortaza shook hands with politics, as he currently serves as a member of the parliament for the Narail-2 constituency in Khulna division. He was re-elected earlier this year, as a candidate for Awami leagued which has been led by Sheikh Hasina.
The unrest conditions of Bangladesh saw the burning of the District Awami League office and the vandalism of the District Awami League President Subash Chandra Bose’s properties. Even in Narayanganj, the MP of the pace, Shamim Osman’s residence was attacked and damaged terribly by the people.
In Comilla, a mob set fire to the house of AKM Bahauddin Bahar, the MP of the constituency, after damaging his property. A user on ‘X’ (formerly known as Twitter) also shared the images of Mashrafe Mortaza’s burning house.
During his cricketing career, the 40-year-old featured in 220 ODIs, where he picked up 270 wickets at an average of 32.93 and a strike rate of 40.4, with an economy rate of under five, thanks to his best figures of 6/26, besides pocketing seven four-wicket hauls and one five-wicket haul.
Even with the bat in hand, the right-handed batter, coming lower down the order, also smashed 1787 runs at an average of under 14 and a strike rate of nearly 88, with a best score of unbeaten 51 runs. It was just a couple of months ago when he played his recent List-A game, where he captured 468 wickets in a career that has been going on for nearly 23 years.
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Mashrafe Mortaza was also part of 36 Test matches for the national side, where he recorded 78 wickets at an average of 41.52 and a strike rate of nearly 80, as the loss of injuries hardly allowed him to continue his red-ball career, which lasted for only eight years, as his last game of the longest format came in 2009 against West Indies.
The veteran has also been part of 190 T20s, where he has registered 170 wickets at an average of around 29 and an economy rate of 7.51, with a best bowling figure of 5/35, thanks to his two-four wicket hauls. His leadership was the most impressive part of his career, which allowed the national side to dream big and chase those goals.