Mashrafe to become mentor of Chittagong Vikings in BPL-4?

Jannatul Naym Pieal

Whether or not Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is the greatest cricketer of Bangladesh may be a matter of debate, keeping in mind that there are, and have been, a number of other players as well, statistically much better than him, in the history of Bangladesh cricket. But as far as the Bangladesh Premier League (BBL) – the most celebrated, if not the best, domestic cricket tournament of the country is concerned, Mashrafe is undoubtedly the best by all means, clearing everyone else, by literally a large margin.

Mashrafe has three consecutive BPL titles to his credit, that too as a captain, in three editions of the prestigious franchise-based instant-over cricket tournament. He had lifted two titles for the Dhaka Gladiators back in 2012 and 2013, and now has got another one, most recently with the Comilla Victorians.

So if there comes a question, maybe in your BCS preliminary or just in a formal job interview, as to who the greatest cricketer in the history of BPL is, your answer must be Mashrafe, and nothing else, realizing and getting in to the fact that cricket is not just of your skills on the ground only, but it includes the ability of leading your team from the front as well, with equal importance.

But now let’s get back to another thing, the basic point of this article, what if Mashrafe doesn’t feature in the next season of the BPL, which is expected to be held in November next year? Some may wonder, and also get astonished with the possibility of Mashrafe’s not playing as a ‘player’ in the next season and seasons to come, but unfortunate for everyone, that it’s rightly on the cards, with the injury-worn body put a question mark on the longevity of Mashrafe’s career.

Back again to the question asked first, what if Mashrafe doesn’t play as a cricketer in the BPL ever again? Nothing to worry, still then, we will be able to see him associated with the BPL, and sitting right in the dugout. And that dugout might be of Chittagong Vikings, the team led by Tamim Iqbal, as the latter has recently come up to Mashrafe with a ‘great’ offer, as far as the financial side of it is concerned.

If Mashrafe decides not to play, or just is forced to skip pulling it on, in virtue of injuries, he can become the mentor of the Vikings and take up the job of motivating the Chittagong players, to make sure they do not have to sit at the bottom of the table once again in the next season. Tamim has also assured Mashrafe that he will be given the equal amount of money, that the icon cricketers are to receive.

However Mashrafe has still enough time in his hand to take a decision. He didn’t give a nod to his fellow teammate Tamim, neither did he say ‘no’ to the latter. He just remained silent. And who doesn’t know, that silence doesn’t always imply one’s ignorance, but at times it can even turn out to be the sign of acceptance!