Ahead of the third and series-deciding ODI at the Sinhalese Sports Club ground tomorrow and on the cusp of a win that will continue the history-making theme on the tour of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza wanted to see the two qualities in his team that have made him such an attractive and inspirational cricketer. 

Mashrafe, whose career has been marred by numerous knee injuries that has reduced him to a hobble when he walks around on the field of play calling the shots, has always been a picture of aggression, be it when hitting massive sixes with the bat and sending batsmen packing with new ball in hand. Off the field, his popularity as captain has owed a lot to his relaxed nature in dealing with success or failure. 

So, when asked if Bangladesh should mix caution with aggression when attempting to win their first series in Sri Lanka, his answer gave a glimpse into the current attitude of the team that is leading the series 1-0. 

"It is very difficult to be play with too much caution, because you cannot play your best that way," said Mashrafe at the pre-match press conference at the SSC this afternoon. "Either you will have to be in a defensive mode or you have to be attacking. And if you want to win a game of cricket, you can’t do it being defensive."

He then talked about the importance of the second of his defining qualities. "I think being relaxed is very important, because the team has won two matches on the trot, be it Test or ODI. So being relaxed is very important and to play according to the plans put in place. But I will always want that we play the aggressive game."