Mashrafe Mortaza returns home from Ireland tour to be with wife

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Khaled Mahmud has informed that the ODI captain of the Bangladesh team Mashrafe Mortaza has returned from the England and Ireland tour today because his wife is not well. His wife has been admitted to the hospital the director stated. The date when he will fly back is not clear as it is to be decided only after Mortaza observes the situation with his wife.

“He is returning due to a family emergency. His wife is ill and has been admitted to a city hospital. Only after he observes the situation with his wife can we say for certain when he will fly back,” Khaled Mahmud said.

Mashrafe was part of the 18-member Bangladesh squad that flew to England on April 27 for a 10-day training camp in Sussex ahead of a tri-series in Ireland that will also feature New Zealand. Then the team would also take part in the ICC Champions Trophy which gets underway from June 1.

Earlier the cricketer had announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game before the T20 series against Sri Lanka. Mortaza was quoted as saying by dailystar as saying, “This (Sri Lanka) is going to be my last T20 series for Bangladesh. I would like to thank BCB, my family and friends, team-mates and coaching staff. I would also like to thank my fans who really supported me in the last 15-16 years.”

With his retirement from the T20 internationals, he is now only a part of the ODI team as he had already retired from the longest format of the game. Mashrafe will lead the Bangladesh team which has improved a lot in the recent years, in the upcoming Champions Trophy.

He has so far played 172 One Day International matches for his country and has picked up 225 wickets and has been the leader of Bangladesh’s pace attack.