BCB vice-president Faruque Ahmed praised Mashrafe Bin Mortaza for his role in building Bangladesh’s ODI team. He said Mashrafe helped unite the side and shape its progress.
Faruque spoke to the media on Thursday after the Independence Day exhibition match.
Mashrafe is one of Bangladesh’s most successful captains. He later joined politics and became a Member of Parliament. Since the fall of his party, Awami League, in August 2024, he has stayed away from public life. There were talks of him taking a top role at the Bangladesh Cricket Board, but there has been no update since then.
Faruque said he is not sure about Mashrafe’s current situation.
“I don’t know about Mashrafe’s situation. I am not aware if he has any legal complications,” he said.
He also spoke strongly about Mashrafe’s captaincy.
“What Mashrafe has done for Bangladesh as a captain is huge. People may say many things, but you cannot remove him from being Bangladesh’s captain. That has already been done,” he said.
On his ODI contribution, Faruque highlighted his impact on the team.
“Mashrafe’s contribution to Bangladesh cricket will be written in history. The position we are in today, he played a big role in bringing the whole team together,” he said.
He added that a return is possible if there are no issues.
“If he does not have any other problems, he can come to the board. I am not actually responsible for that,” he said.
Faruque also spoke about the exhibition match.
“This match will not lead to any promotion or demotion. But it is a big thing that such a large reunion has taken place,” he said.
He said he met many people after a long time and praised a few players.
“Ashraful did well while opening. Elias Sunny took five wickets. I think the match became one-sided,” he added.
