ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza has become the first active Bangladesh player to become a Member of Parliament (MP) after his landslide victory in the Narail 2 constituency.
Contesting the country’s 11th general elections for the ruling party Awami League, Mortaza secured a staggering 96 per cent of the vote share to score a thumping win.
According a report by the Dhaka Tribune, Mortaza collected 274,418 votes compared to 8,006 for his competitor AZM Dr Fariduzzaman of the Jatiya Oikya Front.
In doing so, Mortaza has become the second Bangladesh skipper after Naimur Rahman Durjoy to become a MP. Rahman was Bangladesh’s first Test skipper although he had taken to politics only after hanging up his cricketing boots.
Having been given the all-clear by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to contest the elections, Mortaza is still expected to lead Bangladesh as skipper in the ICC World Cup in England next year.
Mortaza will lead Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup.
“My aim is to play until the World Cup. It is a matter of eight months and I will try to continue the way I am continuing. My personal goal was to play the World Cup and whether a review will be required only time can say,” the Bangladesh veteran had said earlier this month.
Mortaza is widely expected to call time on his career upon the completion of the World Cup. The limited-overs stalwart has not featured in Tests for Bangladesh since 2009 and has already announced his retirement from the T20 format.
“I will review my decision if I feel differently after the World Cup. My personal goal was to play till the World Cup, which is eight months away,” Mortaza had stated.