Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has praised Taskin Ahmed for his decision to prefer playing for the national team instead of taking part in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Mashrafe said the pacer should be rewarded by the board so that he and other players feel that the board always stands beside them.
“Of course (Taskin should be awarded). When a player skips IPL for national duty, he deserves an award. It makes the cricketer feels good and thinks that the board is beside me and I’m ready to play any format of the game,” Mashrafe told the reporters on Sunday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
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Taskin won the player of the match award twice in the recently concluded series against Proteas, which was the first series win in South Africa as well.
In the third match of the series, Taskin bagged five wickets — the second of his career. Right before the third match, Taskin got an IPL call-up from the Lucknow Super Giants.
The pacer said no to IPL after a discussion with the Bangladesh Cricket Board. The right-arm pacer is contracted with the board to play all formats of the game.
Masrahfe praises Shakib for his sacrifice
Mashrafe has praised Shakib Al Hasan for the sacrifice he made during the South Africa series.
Before the third match of the series, five members of Shakib’s family were hospitalised for different illnesses. It was expected that Shakib would return home to stay with his family. But the all-rounder preferred to stay with the team for the series-deciding third and last match.
“We have to see the sacrifice that Shakib made in this series,” Masrhafe said on Sunday. “He was free to return home, but he stayed with the team and supported the team.”
Bangladesh eventually won the last match of the series against South Africa and won the series as well — their first in South Africa.
“The biggest thing is Shakib’s desire to win the series. Hats off to Shakib (for what he has done)! He managed two sides in a great way,” Mashrafe added.
Earlier, Shakib was reluctant to tour South Africa due to, as he said, mental fatigue. But he eventually travelled with the team and won the player of the match award in the first match of the series.
The all-rounder is currently at home. But he is expected to join the national team for the second Test starting on April 8 at St George's Park, Port Elizabeth.
