‘Not so cheap that I would judge myself on a trophy’

In a long and outstanding career as a fast bowler and the coveted captain of the national team, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has come close to winning a major tournament trophy but did not quite get his hands on a trophy even as the Tigers have won bilateral series home and abroad. The Tigers are once again faced with an opportunity to win a major trophy as they face India in the final of the Asia Cup.

The Tigers have now made it to the final of the tournament for the third time in the last four editions of the tournament but when the captain was asked whether it is a personal chance to end his trophy drought, Mashrafe reiterated that he does not judge his own achievements based on winning a trophy.

"Firstly, I don't see myself as so cheap that I would judge myself on a trophy. Secondly, I have not played cricket for a trophy. A trophy is very important at one stage, and I believe InshAllah one day Bangladesh will win one," Mashrafe stated yesterday when asked whether Bangladesh will finally be able to overcome their disappointments.

On a personal level the cricketer did not put much of a price on becoming the first bowler from Bangladesh to get 250 ODI wickets and his opinion regarding winning a trophy was similar. He opined that the Tigers need a trophy in order to inspire the future generation of cricketers but on a personal level, others might judge his record based on trophies but he himself does not. Mashrafe, who knows better than perhaps anyone else how failure attracts criticism in the same way that success often follows unabated praise.

"It's important because it will boost the young generation coming into cricket. So in that sense you can say that Bangladesh need a trophy, but it's not that it has to be tomorrow. And from a personal standpoint, if you judge Mashrafe based on a trophy that is up to you, but I don't see myself as that cheap."