Mashrafe Mortaza

Having had seven operations on his legs, knees and ankles, Mortaza has unfortunately missed more games for Bangladesh than he has played since his international debut in 2001

The Cricketer | 04/05/2019 at 10:56

Born: October 5, 1983

Role: Right-hand bat, right-arm fast-medium

Now strictly an ODI specialist having not played a T20I in two years or a Test match in nearly a decade, Mashrafe Mortaza is Bangladesh’s ODI captain and their most successful ODI bowler.

Having had seven operations on his legs, knees and ankles, Mortaza has unfortunately missed more games for Bangladesh than he has played since his international debut in 2001.

Arguably the first genuine pace bowler that Bangladesh have produced, Mortaza’s Test debut against Zimbabwe was his first-class debut as well after impressing former West Indian great Andy Roberts at a training camp.

By 2006, Mortaza was claiming the most ODI wickets in a calendar year and in 2007 his 4-38 against India helped propel Bangladesh to an upset victory at the World Cup.

Quick and with the ability to hit the deck hard, Mortaza has lost some of his pace after recurring injuries forced him to remodel his action and, at 35 years old, Mortaza now looks to utilise a strict line and length to force the batsman into making a mistake rather than relying on express pace.

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