CT 2017: No major injury concern for Mashrafe Mortaza

Team Bangladesh had a horrid time at the Oval when they took on India in their second warm-up game of the tournament. Nothing went right for them in the game from the start of the proceedings on the day. It came as a surprise to see that there was no Mashrafe Mortaza out in the middle for the toss. Shakib Al Hasan, who usually leads the team in his absence, walked into the middle for the toss.

Prior to the game, there was no news about the unavailability of Mashrafe Mortaza. Hence, his absence from the action came as a surprise to many. The fears for the team Bangladesh only got worse when all the big heads of the team management were seen in an intense discussion soon after the toss.

Head coach Chandika Hathurusingha, pace bowling coach Courtney Walsh, assistant and fielding coach Richard Halsall, batting consultant Thilan Samaraweera and trainer Mario Villavarayan spoke at length in the dug out before heading back to the dressing room. The intense looks on their faces made the paparazzi wonder what could possibly wrong with the Bangladeshi skipper.

Hathurusingha jokes about the issue

When they approached the team dugout, the head coach Hathurusingha remarked, “Well, he broke his leg.” However, he was seen sporting a grin after saying that which eased out the tension that prevailed. Batting consultant Thilan Samaraweera later gave the much-needed relief news to the reporters a little while later.

Samaraweera breaks the ice

Samaraweera noted that there is no injury concern for Mashrafe Mortaza. He did not play the game as the team wanted to give him the much-needed rest. “No, no, there is no injury concern for Mashrafe, he is just given rest, that’s it,” said Samaraweera.

Team Bangladesh will hope that they recover well after their poor show in the warm-up games. They will play their first match of Champions Trophy 2017 against England on June 1 in the tournament opener.