Mashrafe Mortaza to consider T20I retirement

Kolkata, 26 March। Bangladesh's Group 2 match against New Zealand in the World Twenty20 here on Saturday could well be Mashrafe Bin Mortaza's swansong in the 20-over format. But the skipper will take a decision on his return from India.

Already eliminated from the tournament with three straight defeats, Bangladesh will take on New Zealand at the Eden Gardens here, reports bdnews24.com.

Since last year, Mashrafe, who earlier insisted he did not enjoy Twenty20 Internationals as much as One-Day Internationals (ODI), had been thinking about signing out of the shortest format after the showcase event.

According to the international fixtures, Bangladesh have no more T20Is scheduled this year. They will play their next games in New Zealand in January next year. After the World T20, the tournament will be a quadrennial event rather than a biennial one. Mashrafe does not fancy himself playing in the next edition slated for 2020 in Australia.

"I will think about (retirement) when I get home," Mashrafe said.

The 32-year-old has always tried to stay away from the spotlight and as such, he is likely to be willing to step down from T20Is without making much noise.

"We have an important match. That has my full attention for now. There will be a lot of time back home to consider whether I will play T20 after this or not," he concluded.

Agency