3 records Mashrafe Mortaza couldn't break in his international career

Mashrafe Mortaza, a legendary figure in Bangladesh cricket led the team from the front for most parts of the last two decades. He made his international debut in 2001 against Zimbabwe, and since then was a strike bowler for the Tigers across all formats.

In 310 international appearances, Mortaza scalped 390 wickets and is ranked second in terms of most wickets for the nation. He also contributed 2,961 runs with the willow and was known for his ability to hit long balls. The right-arm pacer endured the longest-ever career (18 years and 104 days) for any Bangladeshi player, before playing his last game in March 2020.

3 records Mashrafe Mortaza couldn't break in his international career

1. Most wickets in ODIs for Bangladesh

Mortaza usually bowled the initial overs for the Bangladesh team in the ODI format and had the ability to swing the ball in both directions. Although the Jessore-born didn’t have enough pace, he instead relied on the movement off the surface to stun the batters.

In 220 ODIs, the steady customer bagged 270 wickets at an economy of 4.88. He registered his best figures of 6/26 against Kenya in 2006. In the following year, his figures of 4/38 helped Bangladesh secure an infamous win against India in the World Cup.

With 270 ODI scalps under his belt, he now falls short of Shakib Al Hasan, who has picked up 285 wickets in this format. With a few years of international cricket still left for Shakib, he is on the path to reaching the milestone of 300 scalps as well.