Bangladesh bowling coach Ottis Gibson suggests Mashrafe Mortaza to announce international retirement

Bangladesh bowling coach Ottis Gibson has requested former Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Mortaza to retire from ODIs. The bowling coach in an interview talked about how the team is planning to start building a side for the next 50-overs World cup.

Talking about the fast-bowler, Gibson credited Mortaza for doing great for his country at the international level. The right-arm fast bowler is currently the highest wicket-taker for Bangladesh in ODI format. During the interaction, the former West Indian pacer named some pacers in Bangladesh whom the coach Russell Domingo would want to be tested, considering the 2023 World Cup.

“I think he has had an outstanding international career,” Gibson told the Bengali daily Prothom Alo on Monday. “He has done himself and his country proud. With the next World Cup in 2023, any international coach will now start to build a team.

I am quite sure that’s what Russell will be thinking. So he would want to see players like young Hasan Mahmud, [Mohammad] Saifuddin, Shafiul [Islam] and Ebadot [Hossain]. We haven’t seen Ebadot in white-ball cricket yet. There’s Taskin [Ahmed] and Khaled [Ahmed] gets fit again. We have Hasan and [Mehedi Hasan] Rana. So there’s a lot of young cricketers in the country,” he added.

Perhaps now is his time to move on: Ottis Gibson

Further, the bowling coach said that he is not sure what kind of role will Mortaza play in the Bangladesh squad in the upcoming future. He expressed his opinion that he fast bowler should retire now and pass his knowledge and experience to the young guys.

“I think if Russell is now trying to build a team for the future, then I don’t know what part Mashrafe will have to play in that. Perhaps now is his time, with all that’s going on in the world, to move on. He can find other ways to pass on his vast knowledge and experience to the young guys. I don’t think he has to be on the field to be able to pass on what he has learned over his career. He needs to find other ways to pass on that message,” Gibson said.

This is the first time that any coaching staff has openly said something on Mortaza’s retirement. The fast-bowler has taken 269 wickets from 218 matches. However, the pacer had experienced a drop in the form with the ball in recent times. He first announced his retirement but later on clarified that he will just give up his captaincy. The bowler has already retired from the T20I format.