Mashrafe relishes newest challenge

Mashrafe Mortaza is "very excited" to be playing for Kalabagan Krira Chakra in this season's Dhaka Premier Division Cricket League. He returned from a family holiday in Kashmir on Friday evening, and joined training the following day.

He has done his recovery sessions in the gym as well as spent time in the nets. He doesn't know many of his new teammates but he is already making an effort to get acquainted with them. As the Bangladesh limited overs' captain, one of the most celebrated personalities in the country, and someone who has been playing at the highest level for more than 16 years, he really doesn't have to be this way.

But at the April 10 players' draft, Mashrafe was spurned by almost all the Dhaka clubs before becoming the last among the guaranteed available players to be picked, eleventh out of the 13 cricketers in the icon and A+ categories. The next two players were Shakib Al Hasan and Mustafizur Rahman, who will be tied up with the IPL at least till the end of May.

The late call wasn't an insult to Mashrafe. At least he doesn't see it that way. He knows it has happened before, as recently as the last BPL draft when Comilla Victorians picked him while maintaining that he wasn't their first choice. In the end, Mashrafe dragged an often wobbly team to their maiden BPL title.

"These things [not getting picked in a draft] always inspire me," Mashrafe says. "I went unsold in the BPL's first auction, if you can remember, and later Dhaka Gladiators picked me. In the last BPL, there was some talk when Comilla Victorians picked me. I wasn't angry but I just wanted to prove myself on the field."

In last season's Dhaka Premier League, Mashrafe took 18 wickets and scored 235 runs for Mohammedan, who ignored him for Mushfiqur Rahim in the players' draft this time. It could rankle with Mashrafe to the point that he uses it as inspiration to do well for Kalabagan, but he is not one to talk about the disappointment directly.

"This excitement comes from playing in a club other than Abahani and Mohammedan," he says. "There is much enjoyment in overcoming a challenge, and this certainly is one for me.

"Apart from playing couple of matches for City Club and a game for Indira Road Krira Chakra some years ago, I have always played for the big clubs like Abahani, Bangladesh Biman and Mohammedan Sporting Club."

Kalabagan is one of those unfashionable mid-table clubs that reside in every league across the world. They were decent in the late 1990s and were relegated to the Dhaka First Division League for a few years before recovering in the last decade. They narrowly escaped relegation last season. They usually don't attract top players but since there was a draft this time, they could pick the likes of Mashrafe, Abdur Razzak and Mehrab Hossain jnr as well as promising young players like Shadman Islam and Tasamul Haque.

Incidentally, Kalabagan had picked up Shakib after bagging the first pick in the 2013 players' draft, but he played only one game for them. This time they are excited to have Mashrafe, his personality, vast experience and ability to bring a team together.

"Mashrafe's great role in bringing cohesion to teams is what we are looking forward to," Kalabagan's coach Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury says. "He will inspire the younger players. He is a team man so there is much to learn from him.

"His presence in our club will also inspire other smaller clubs to believe that they can also have big names like Mashrafe. Plus, he will bring a lot of attention to our club."

Mashrafe says he is happy with Razzak and Mehrab in his team, and will work with the younger players to motivate them. "I am not going to say that we will become champions. Other teams will have two guys doing well to win a game but we will need four guys, for example. I have some senior guys like [Abdur Razzak] Raj, Mehrab [Hossain jnr] and Tanveer [Haider].

The young players are also quite good. I will try to help them by telling them to dream of playing for Bangladesh in a few years. Shadman will be playing for the next 12-14 years. I want someone like him to be prepared to get into the national team in the next 3-4 years."

Mashrafe doesn't set goals ahead of tournaments but he also doesn't want to be labeled as a cricketer who takes advantage of his seniority. With his international career now nearing its end, he says he seeks one thing more than anything else, more than money or stature. It is one thing he has always given the game: respect.

"What do you want after playing cricket for 16 years? It is respect more than the money. I was well respected in Abahani and Mohammedan, and I am getting the same in this team."