0 jersey number in cricket

The jersey numbers in cricket were first used in the 1999 World Cup, where captain wore the jersey number 1 while others wore from number 2 to 15. Now, the players choose their favorite numbers, some are based on the numerology belief, astrology, birthdate, and some take it as a random.

Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza is a Bangladeshi international cricketer and politician who is the former captain in all three formats of the game for the Bangladesh national cricket team. Widely considered as the best captain for Bangladesh in ODI and T20 formats of all time, he became only the fifth bowler in the history to take 100 ODI wickets as a captain. Mortaza’s career has been hampered by numerous injuries as he has undergone multiple operations on his knees and ankles. Mashrafe is also the first pace bowler in Bangladesh who bowled a delivery clocking over 148 km/h during a Test against New Zealand at Hamilton in 2001.

Mortaza used to be considered one of the fastest bowlers produced by Bangladesh, previously bowling in the mid-145s-148s km/h in the 2000s, and regularly opened the bowling. He is a useful lower-middle order batsman, with a first-class century and three Test half centuries to his name.

Pitches in Bangladesh are generally slow and suit spin bowling; the domestic circuit is dominated by spin bowlers. Former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons suggested the pitches discourages the emergence of fast bowlers. Despite this in April 2008 Mortaza became the second Bangladesh bowler to take 100 wickets in ODIs and the first fast bowler from the team to pass the landmark. For a long time Mortaza was acclaimed as the fastest bowler that Bangladesh had produced, before the arrival of Rubel Hossain.

Mortaza uses his aggressive bowling to challenge batsmen. Although a naturally aggressive player, his accurate bowling has led to comparisons with Australian fast-bowler Glenn McGrath. He has been described by commentators as having “a strong sturdy physic … sheer pace and stamina with an aggressive frame of mind”. After his knee injury, Mortaza was forced to alter his bowling action slightly, and lost some pace. He has tried to develop his use of reverse swing in an attempt to become a more effective bowler.

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has stated that he believes Mortaza does not get the bowling figures he deserves because “opposing teams tend to see him off and then attack the others”. Mortaza has also commented that “it always puts pressure on the bowlers when their side is bowled out cheaply in the first innings”, something that the Bangladesh batting line-up has sometimes struggled with.

Although primarily a bowler, Mortaza is an aggressive batsman as demonstrated by his high Test match strike rate of 67.25. He set Bangladeshi records for the highest strike rate in Tests and ODIs, and for scoring the most runs in an ODI over (26 runs including four sixes). Mortaza’s batting is characterized by a reluctance to get in line with the bowling and he prefers to take a step towards square leg to facilitate his powerful shots. He has suffered a plethora of injuries, in his own words from 2007: “Left knee, three operations; right knee, one operation; back, stress fracture — it’s better now but still gives some trouble — some shoulder problems; ankles, damaged ligaments twice”. Since then he has suffered further injury, and in total has undergone many surgeries on his both knees and ankles.

In March 2020, Mortaza became the first pace bowler and third player for Bangladesh to take 700 wickets in the professional career after Abdur Razzak and Shakib Al Hasan.

Widely popular in his country, Mashrafe was ranked as one of the world’s most famous athletes on ESPN World Fame 100 in 2019.