Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Bangladeshi Cricketer) full Biography

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Cricketer) full Biography

Personal Information

Full Name: Mashrafe Bin Mortaza
Born: Oct 05, 1983 (36 years)
Birth Place: Norail, Jessore
Major teams Bangladesh, Asia XI, Dhaka Gladiators, Dhaka Platoon, Khulna Division, Kolkata Knight Riders
Nationality: Bangladesh
Type: Sports
Height
Also known as Koushik
Role: Bowler
Batting Style: Right Handed Bat
Bowling Style: Right-arm fast-medium

Mashrafe Bin Mortaza Profile

Popularly known as the 'Narail Express', Mortaza's career has been assailed by injuries. The principal real fast bowler to come out of Bangladesh, he was earmarked for great things since the time he made his test debut against Zimbabwe in 2001-02. Stockily assembled, he could generate uncomfortable skip with his solid action.

He dazzled Andy Roberts who was then coaching Bangladesh and was drafted into the Test side - in what was his debut top of the line game as well - he was the 31st individual to have achieved this, and the third since 1899. After his Test debut, injuries started wreaking havoc and he ended up making one comeback after the other. Injuries to his back and knee forced him to miss most of the action, however came back and broke Aftab Ahmed's national record, on the way to taking 6/26 against Kenya in an ODI.

In the calendar year of 2006, Mortaza was the world's highest wicket taker in ODIs, collecting 49 wickets. The haul was the most ever in a calendar year by a Bangladeshi, and 17th most for anyone. He was the Man of the Match in his side's stun triumph over India in the 2007 World Cup taking 4/38. Unsurprisingly he played in all of Bangladesh's matches in the World Cup as they reached the second round.

Mortaza's strengths are hitting the deck and getting appreciable development off the seam. When he is at his peak, he was capable of surprising the batsmen with his sheer pace, yet constant injuries have meant that he has redesigned his action and depends mostly on bowling a restrictive line with an emphasis on eking out a mistake from the batsmen.

A capable lower order batsman, who can utilize the long handle to great impact, Mortaza was gotten by the KKR side $600,000 in February 2009. He had a stun debut with them when he yielded 26 runs in the last over to Rohit Sharma when 21 was required who snatched an almost impossible win. That was the main game he played in the season as the franchisee relegated him to the benches.

Mortaza was appointed captain after the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. He was to debut as captain when Bangladesh visited West Indies and Zimbabwe, however an ankle injury forced him to hand over the captaincy obligations to Shakib. He endured a tear in his knee ligament which forced him to miss the 2011 World Cup. He would have liked to recoup in time, and when it was announced that Mortaza had not been included in the World Cup squad there was rioting in Bangladesh and in one place a half-day strike.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board started the Bangladesh Premier League in 2012, a Twenty20 tournament to be held in February 2012. In the player auction Mortaza was snapped up by the Dhaka Gladiators for 45,000 USD. On his arrival to serious cricket, Mortaza was made the captain of Dhaka Gladiators. Before the tournament had started, he answered to have been approached with a solicitation to participate in spot-fixing. Mortaza drove his team Dhaka Gladiators to the title in the inaugural edition of BPL, where he took ten wickets from eleven matches.

Not long after BPL finished up, Bangladesh facilitated the 2012 Asia Cup. After losing to Pakistan the past December, five new players were called into Bangladesh's 15-man squad, including Mortaza who was making his comeback to the national side after an injury. When the BCB announced its central contracts for 2012 in March, Mortaza retained his top level contract. Bangladesh exceeded all expectations and advanced to the final against Pakistan, it was only the second time that Bangladesh had reached the final of a tournament. Though he had played in the BPL, bowling ten overs in the ODIs end up being a challenge for Mortaza. He battled to bowl his quota of 10 overs, yet finished as Bangladesh's leading seamer with six wickets from four matches. Significantly after being in and out of the squad Mortaza was able to retain his top level central contract with BCB in March 2012.

Mortaza has been viewed as a short form bowler. He has not played a Test match since 2009 and he injured himself again while playing the 2014 T20 World Cup. In the match against Pakistan, he equalled the record for the most runs surrendered by a Bangladeshi bowler in T20Is. He was the third highest wicket taker in the Nov-Dec 2014 series against Zimbabwe. He was appointed as captain for the series after the captaincy was part across formats for the first time. The BCB, being happy with his ODI captaincy, asked him to lead the team in the 2015 World Cup as well, where he made a huge showing leading Bangladesh to the quarterfinal (the first time Bangladesh had made it to the knockouts).

After the 2015 World Cup, Mashrafe drove his team to ODI series wins against Pakistan (3-0) and India (2-1) at home. These outcomes sealed a place for Bangladesh in the 8-nation tournament, the 2017 edition of the Champions Trophy in England. Mashrafe, who had a couple of thoughts of retirement set out to settle them all and wanted to work harder for the competition.. After registering an ODI series win against the Proteas, the Bangladesh captain said, 'We used to dream of beating enormous teams. Presently we are beating them.'

After finishing sprinters up in the Asia Cup, Mashrafe's next assignment was the WT20 held in India. An alternate Mortaza was seen midway during the tournament. In one of the press conferences, he was seen shedding tears when asked about the suspensions of Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Radiant for illegal bowling actions. The Bangladesh certainly missed their administrations and failed to enlist a single win in the Excessively 10 stage.

After squaring the ODI series in Sri Lanka, Mortaza announced his retirement from the shortest format of the game at the hurl during the first of the two T20Is. His teammates gave him a fitting farewell by winning his final T20I game and thereby leveling the series 1-1.

On beating New Zealand in the final game of the tri-series in Ireland in May 2017, Bangladesh went above Sri Lanka in the rankings to sixth place. Taking certainty from the heartening show in the Ireland tri-series, Bangladesh beat New Zealand by and by in the 2017 Champions Trophy as they reached the semi-final for the first time in the history of the tournament. They were eventually beaten by India yet get back to a rousing welcome.

After a moderate start, Bangladesh have started to develop as a dominant force - at least in the shorter formats of the game and a significant part of the credit must go to the man who's leading his team towards wonder.

Interesting facts: Although he appreciated playing sports, for example, football and badminton from a youthful age - sometimes going swimming in the nearby Waterway Chitra instead of doing school work - Mortaza was increasingly interested in cricket as a youth, especially batting.

Personal life

Mortaza was conceived in the locale of Narail in south-west Bangladesh. Although he delighted in playing sports, for example, football and badminton from a youthful age—sometimes going swimming in the nearby Waterway Chitra instead of doing school work—in the middle of playing cricket, Mortaza got himself admitted into Department of Theory at the Jahangirnagar College in 2003-04 meeting for his bachelor's certificate. Mortaza was progressively interested in cricket as a youth, especially batting. Regardless of this, his bowling is currently his main attribute and his pace has gained him the nickname of the "Narail Express".
Mortaza has been portrayed as an open and animated character who appreciates motorcycling. He used to travel from a local extension onto the tops of passing merchandise barges. He is exceptionally popular in his old neighborhood, leading to him being named their "Prince of Hearts". At Govt. Victoria School, Narail, Mortaza met Sumona Haque Shumi, whom he married in 2006. He has a daughter now. His daughter's name is Humaira Mortaza. He also turns into a father of a child at 5 October 2014 named Sahil.

Career

Mortaza is one of the most fruitful pace bowlers to have risen up out of Bangladesh. The pace and aggression Mortaza displayed as an under-19 player impressed Andy Roberts, the former West Indian fast bowler, who was acting as a temporary bowling coach for Bangladesh. Under Roberts' recommendation, Mortaza was drafted into the Bangladesh A team.
After one match for Bangladesh A (to date his lone Bangladesh A match), Mortaza made his Test debut on 8 November 2001 against Zimbabwe in the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. Khaled Mahmud also debuted in the match, which was curtailed by rain and finished in a draw. Mortaza opened the bowling with Mohammad Manjural Islam and took 4 wickets for 106 runs (also written as 4/106) as Zimbabwe didn't bat a subsequent time. His first, also known as "maiden", Test wicket was that of Grant Flower. Unusually the match was also Mortaza's maiden top of the line match; he was the 31st individual to have achieved this, and the third since 1899. Mortaza also made his first appearance for Bangladesh's one day team on 23 November 2001 along with individual debutants Fahim Muntasir and Tushar Imran. Opening the bowling with Mohammad Sharif, Mortaza finished with figures of 2/26 from 8.2 overs as Zimbabwe dominated the game by five wickets.
Injury issues
After the Test series against Zimbabwe and one against New Zealand, Mortaza missed the series against Pakistan in January 2002 as he was suffering from a back injury. While recovering, Mortaza endured a knee injury while skipping and required an operation. Accordingly, he was unable to play cricket for a further eight months. At this stage of his career, Mortaza had played four Tests and taken 12 wickets at an average of 31.16.
Mortaza didn't come back to international cricket until the 2003 World Cup in South Africa during 2003. Bangladesh failed to advance past the cooperative stage, and Mortaza played in two matches collecting two wickets at an average of 38.00.
In October and November 2003, England visited Bangladesh for two-Tests and three ODIs. In the subsequent Test, Mortaza took what at the time was his best Test figures of 4/60 before succumbing to injury, collapsing with a wound knee after delivering the ball. In spite of challenging England in the series, Bangladesh lost 2–0, Mortaza finished the series with 8 wickets at an average of 21.25. Accordingly, he was again out of international cricket; this time for over a year. Injuries in the first three years of his international career saw Mortaza just play 12 Tests and not more than four in succession.
Victory
Mortaza came back from his career threatening injury and, after impressing in Bangladesh household cricket, he was chosen in the 13-man squad to face India in a home two-Test series during December 2004. He announced his arrival to Test cricket in the first Test at Dhaka by dismissing Rahul Dravid. He bowled consistently in the series and nearly excused Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, yet catches were dropped. Cricinfo noticed that in the second Test he "drudged manfully again with wretched back-up". Mortaza finished the series with five wickets at an average of 37.00, although Bangladesh lost 2–0. In the following ODI series, Mortaza played an instrumental job in Bangladesh's 16 run defeat of India in the second ODI on 26 December 2004. He was awarded the man of the match for his all-round performance—taking two wickets, two catches and scoring 31 not out. The match was Bangladesh's 100th ODI and Mortaza's first one-day cricket in 15 months. Bangladesh proceeded to lose the series 2–1.
In January 2005 Zimbabwe visited Bangladesh, playing two Tests and five ODIs. Bangladesh won the Test series one Test to nil, their first series victory in Test cricket. In addition, Bangladesh's victory in the first Test at the MA Aziz Stadium was their first Test win. In the final innings of the first match, Mortaza took the ninth wicket and with victory imminent he battled to bowl the following ball and had to wipe away tears and regain his self-restraint before starting his run up. Notwithstanding a sore back in the subsequent Test, Mortaza continued to bowl. In the two Tests, Mortaza scored 93 runs at an average of 31.00 and took nine wickets at an average of 24.88. In a nearby ODI series, Bangladesh won 3–2 after being 2–0 down, Mortaza played in four matches and took four wickets at an average of 40.00.
Playing for Khulna Division against Sylhet Division in March 2005, Mortaza scored his maiden first-class century. Batting at number four in his team's subsequent innings, Mortaza scored 132 not out from 140 balls; the innings far surpassing his past best first-class score of 70, and was named man of the match.
Mortaza enhanced his reputation on Bangladesh's inaugural voyage through England, and was the team's leading bowler, although his team lost the two-match Test series 2–0. He was by far the most economical of the Bangladeshi bowlers, conceding on average nearly half a run less per over than the following best bowler. Mortaza finished the series with four wickets at 49.50 and was the team's leading wicket taker. He consistently upset the English batsmen, repeatedly beating the bat. An ODI tri-series followed in which Bangladesh recorded their maiden win against Australia. Mortaza's bowling was important in Bangladesh's enormous surprise against Australia in Cardiff, removing Adam Gilchrist for a duck and conceding 33 runs from 10 overs as Bangladesh won by five wickets. At the finish of the visit, Mortaza was depicted as "Bangladesh's solitary cutting edge", underlining how important his bowling is to the team.
Mortaza was chosen as a hold player for the Asian squad in the inaugural Afro-Asia Cup. He was later drafted into the full squad as a replacement for the unavailable Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. With batsman Mohammad Ashraful, he was one of two Bangladeshi players in the 15-man squad. Sultan Rana, the Asia team manager, depicted Mortaza as "an exceptionally promising possibility, a spectacular asset to the Bangladesh team". He played two of the three ODIs where he took Shaun Pollock's wicket in the first one.
Further injury
In September 2005 a back injury meant that Mortaza had to get back from Bangladesh's voyage through Sri Lanka before the start of the first Test. It was the sixth time he had been sent home in a series. The injury—a sort of stress fracture expected to take somewhere in the range of six and twelve weeks to heal—saw Mortaza unable to play any cricket for several months. He came back to the Bangladesh side in February 2006 for a series of ODIs against Sri Lanka.
Australia visited Bangladesh in April 2006 and Mortaza played the entire series. In spite of coming near winning the first Test, Bangladesh ultimately lost both Tests in the series. In the final innings of the first Test, Mortaza dropped a troublesome catch off Australian captain Ricky Ponting who proceeded to see his side to victory with 118 not out. Habibul Bashar, the Bangladesh captain, said of the dropped catch, "In the event that he had taken it we could have seen an alternate situation, however I should say he made a decent attempt and all of you realize that he is an entire hearted cricketer". Bangladesh lost the following three-match ODI series 3–0.
In July and August 2006, Bangladesh visited Zimbabwe for a five-match ODI series. In the third ODI, Mortaza was hit for six off the final ball of the match by Brendan Taylor, giving the Zimbabweans victory. With Zimbabwe already winning the series 3–1, Mortaza was dropped for the final match, which Bangladesh proceeded to win. In the four matches he played in, Mortaza took five wickets at an average of 29.20. Following their defeat by Zimbabwe, Bangladesh faced Kenya in three ODIs, winning them all. Mortaza was instrumental in the subsequent victory, coming in with the score on 120/7 chasing 185 to win. He guided his team home with a 43 not out, farming the strike to ensure the Bangladesh tail. Mortaza took career best bowling figures of 6/26 from his 10 overs in the final ODI, ensuring Bangladesh were chasing a low target. His figures are also the best in ODIs by any Bangladesh cricketer. In the calendar year of 2006 Mortaza was the world's highest wicket taker in ODIs, collecting 49 wickets. The haul was the most ever in a calendar year by a Bangladeshi, and 17th most for anyone
In a freak accident without further ado before the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy, Mortaza sprained his ankle on the stairs at home. Thus, he was governed out of the warm up matches before the tournament which was held on October. Mortaza recovered in time to play in all three of Bangladesh's matches, taking two wickets at 50.50, as Bangladesh failed to advance past the first round.
2007 World Cup and bad habit captaincy
In February 2007, Bangladesh again visited Zimbabwe for a one-day series, this time as a preface to the 2007 World Cup. Bangladesh dominated the four game series 3–1, and Mortaza finished as Bangladesh's leading wicket-taker with 8 wickets at 16.50. When Bangladesh beat New Zealand in a warm-up match before the World Cup, Mortaza delivered what was portrayed as a "fine all-round display". He took four wickets and scored an unbeaten 30 off 16 balls to guarantee victory by two wickets. He was also the man of the match in Bangladesh's victory over India during the gathering stage of the 2007 World Cup, taking 4/38; at the time they were the best figures by a Bangladesh bowler at a World Cup. Bangladesh advanced to the second round of the tournament, and Mortaza played in all nine of the team's matches, taking nine wickets at an average of 35.88.
Soon after the World Cup, India visited Bangladesh for two Test matches and three ODIs. Bangladesh lost the Test series 1–0, yet Mortaza finished as both the team's leading run-scorer and wicket-taker with 151 runs at 50.33 with two fifties—including his maiden Test half-century—and 6 wickets at 38.33. Bangladesh lost the ODI series 2–0. After Habibul Bashar ventured down from Bangladesh's one day captaincy, Mohammad Ashraful was appointed the team captain in all forms of cricket on 2 June 2007. On the same day, it was announced that Mortaza was the new bad habit captain. When Bangladesh visited Sri Lanka in June and July 2007, Mortaza took 3 wickets at 91.33 in three Test matches as Bangladesh lost the series 3–0. His lackluster showing prompted recommendations that Mortaza was uninterested in the series; he denied this and put performance down to a lack of certainty and fatigue from an intensive international schedule over the past two years. He featured in one match of the three-match ODI series; taking two wickets at 15.50 and Bangladesh again lost 3–0.
Mortaza was chosen for the Asia squad to play in the 2007 Afro-Asia Cup, a three-match ODI series, replacing Pakistan fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar. Along with spin bowler Mohammad Rafique, Mortaza was one of two Bangladesh players in the squad. Mortaza played in two of the three matches, taking one wicket at an average of 108 runs as Asia won the series 3–0. At the inaugural World Twenty20, held in South Africa in September 2007, Mortaza took two wickets at 80.00 and scored 35 runs at 8.75 in five matches as Bangladesh advanced to the second stage of the tournament. In a match against Australia in the tournament, Mortaza became one of three casualties of the first T20I hat-stunt. Brett Lee claimed Shakib Al Hasan's wicket, trailed by Mortaza's and then that of Alok Kapali to help Australia to a 9-wicket win.
When Bangladesh visited New Zealand in December 2007 and January 2008, the team lost the Test series 2–0 and the ODI series 3–0. Mortaza played in both of the Tests, taking seven wickets at 26.85 and finished as the team's leading wicket-taker. However he was less fruitful in the ODI series, taking one wicket for 123 runs in three matches. In Bangladesh's two Tests against South Africa in February and March 2008, Mortaza failed to take a single wicket in either match and his team lost 2–0. Because of his plunge in form, Mortaza was dropped for the first match of the three-match ODI series that followed. After Bangladesh lost the opening match of the series, Mortaza returned for the final two ODIs and took one wicket for 45 runs; Bangladesh proceeded to lose the series 3–0. Ireland visited Bangladesh in March 2008; during the visit Mortaza and two other Bangladesh players faced disciplinary action for missing a practice meeting. Bangladesh were undefeated in the three-match ODI series, with Mortaza collecting four wickets at 22.75 and a man of the match award.
In August and September 2008, Bangladesh visited Australia for three ODIs. Before the ODIs started, Mortaza was struggling with his persistent knee injury. Bangladesh lost all three matches, and although not missing a match, Mortaza failed to take a wicket. After the series, specialists examined the knee and distinguished an assortment of liquid in Mortaza's left knee. He was informed that he can continue bowling for as long as a year, yet then he will require minor medical procedure to drain the liquid. The operation would shield him from playing cricket for six to about two months. In September 2008, Mortaza was approached by the Indian Cricket League to join the newly formed Dhaka Warriors. The league was not legitimate according to the ICC, whose lead was trailed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), and the 13 players who decided to join were given 10-year bans by the BCB. Mortaza turned down the offer, asserting that his main need was to play for Bangladesh.
When New Zealand visited Bangladesh in October 2008, Mortaza was part of Bangladesh's maiden ODI victory against New Zealand. He took 4/44 as his team won by seven wickets, yet the team proceeded to lose the series 2–1. He finished as the series leading wicket-taker. In the two-match Test series which followed, Mortaza took three wickets at an average of 28.33 and scored 92 runs at an average of 30.66 as Bangladesh lost the series 1–0.
When Bangladesh visited South Africa in November 2008, Bangladesh lost the two-match and three-match Test and ODI series 2–0 and 3–0 individually. Mortaza was forced to pass up Bangladesh's warm up match because of a sore back, however played in all the Tests and ODIs, taking two costly wickets in each series.
On 6 February 2009, an auction was held in which teams in the Indian Premier League made offers for players for the 2009 Indian Premier League, the second season of the opposition. Mortaza's starting cost was US$50,000; the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Kings XI Punjab were involved in a bidding war over Mortaza, driving up his cost. The winning offer was US$600,000 by the Kolata Knight Riders. Preity Zinta, a stake holder in the Kings XI Punjab team, said "Mortaza is a great player, an all-rounder and we wanted him". Buying Mortaza's was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders' attempt to appeal to a more extensive audience, including Bangladeshis. Mortaza played only one match for the Kolkata Knight Riders; in the most costly spell of the 2009 IPL, he dumbfounded the final of the match, conceding 21 races to allow the Deccan Chargers to make sure about victory
National captain
In early 2009, Ashraful's situation as captain came under investigation and the BCB considered potential replacements. Mortaza, wicket-attendant Mushfiqur Rahim, and all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan were recognized as potential successors, yet the board chose to let Ashraful remain as captain. Mortaza was also reconfirmed as bad habit captain. Following Bangladesh's early exit from the 2009
ICC World Twenty20, because of their defeat by Ireland, Mohammad Ashfraful's leadership was reprimanded, however stated that he wished to remain captain. In June 2009, the BCB soothed Ashraful of the captaincy with the goal that he could concentrate on his batting and Mortaza was appointed captain for the voyages through the West Indies and Zimbabwe. Shakib Al Hasan replaced Mortaza as bad habit captain.
In July 2009, Bangladesh visited the West Indies. Mortaza's captaincy was off to a winning start in his first Test in charge when Bangladesh beat the West Indies. However, he injured his knee and was unable to take to the field on the final day, leaving Shakib Al Hasan to assume the captaincy and lead the team to a historic win; it was their first against the West Indies, their first overseas Test victory, and just their subsequent Test win. This was achieved against an inexperienced West Indies side because of a debate between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players' Association over pay. The first XI had made themselves unavailable for determination and a new squad had to be picked. Seven West Indies players made their Test debut in the match and the side was captained by Floyd Reifer who had played the last of his four Tests ten years earlier.
Mortaza's injury kept him from taking part in the remainder of the visit and his replacement, Shakib Al Hasan, drove Bangladesh to a 2–0 and 3–0 triumphs in the Test and ODI series separately. The West Indies' debate remained unsolved for the remainder of Bangladesh's visit and the West Indies continued to handle an inexperienced side. The knee injury also administered Mortaza out of playing on the voyage through Zimbabwe in August. In early August, Mortaza traveled to Australia to experience arthroscopic medical procedure on both knees; the normal recovery time from the operation was a month and a half. Although Mortaza was reinstated as Bangladesh's captain for the team's home ODI series against Zimbabwe in October 2009, he didn't play in the series. His injury endured, and he didn't play serious cricket from his injury in July 2009 until February 2010 .
Battles with injury
When his knee had recovered, Mortaza endured another setback when he was forestalled playing against New Zealand in February 2010 because of a fever. Mortaza made his comeback from injury in a match for Bangladesh Cricket Board XI against England during their voyage through Bangladesh. Following the match, he remarked that he had no interest in regaining the captaincy as in his opinion Shakib Al Hasan had worked admirably. He also said that if his injury issues persevered he would contemplate retiring from Test cricket to concentrate on ODIs and T20s, similar to individual fast bowlers Shane Security, Shaun Tait, Andrew Flintoff, and Brett Lee. Mortaza declined to play in the Test series to avoid aggravating his knee injury, however played just the first out of the three ODIs against England before withdrawing from Bangladesh's squad as he was about to be dropped. Bangladesh lost the one match Mortaza played in, and the captain reprimanded his bowling. Shakib Al Hasan said "The way Mashrafe bowled before his injury, that Mashrafe we may have missed this evening. Be that as it may, the way he bowled in the last match and the practice match, not so much. He needs some time to return to full certainty and rhythm. He needs to play a few games and get match-fit again."
Mortaza continued to battle for form in the 2010 Asia Cup, held in June, taking only two wickets in three matches at an average of 77.00. The coach, Jamie Siddons, remarked that "He's going to have to improve a great deal on his present form. Unfortunately there's no ready replacement for Mashrafe right now, we're hoping his experience will get him through. We'll continue looking for others and if Mash can't stand up we'll have to replace him." Siddons also noticed that since his comeback in 2010, Mortaza's bowling has not been as fast as it used to be. In the one-day leg of the arrival visit in England in July 2010, Mortaza regain the captaincy of the ODI side. He took over from Shakib Al Hasan who had ventured down after a plunge in form. In the second ODI Bangladesh finished their 24-match losing streak; Mortaza drove his nation to their first victory over England in any form of cricket. However, Bangladesh were unable to seal a series victory and lost 2–1. Mortaza finished as joint-lead wicket-taker for the series with five wickets, equal with England's Ajmal Shahzad. Later the same month, Bangladesh played two And against Ireland, and one against the Netherlands; the team managed just a single victory against Ireland. Analyzing Bangladesh's performance on the visit, Mortaza noticed his anxiety about the viability of the team's bowling.
In the opening game of Bangladesh's five-match ODI series against New Zealand in October 2010, Mortaza endured an ankle injury. Thus, he was unable to play again in the series and Shakib Al Hasan took over. Bangladesh won 4–0, a historic win as Bangladesh had never before won a series against a full-strength Test nation. At the start of November, the BCB announced 16 central contracts. Mortaza was one of six players in the top level. He came back to the Bangladesh squad for Zimbabwe's voyage through the nation in December 2010, yet Shakib Al Hasan retained the captaincy. By his own admission, Mortaza battled for form early in the series however accepted that he would improve with match practice. After losing the opening match of the series, Bangladesh won the following three experiences and beat Zimbabwe 3–1; Mortaza finished with three wickets from four matches at an average of 32.66. At the finish of the series Shakib praised the performance of his fast bowlers in the closing matches. While batting for Abahani in a Dhaka Premier Division League match in December, Mortaza endured a tear of his knee ligament. When the injury meant he was precluded from Bangladesh's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup in February, Mortaza said that it was "the most painful day" of his life. He would have liked to recover in time, and when it was announced that Mortaza had not been included in the World Cup squad there was rioting in Bangladesh and in one place a half-day strike.
Mortaza was recalled to the squad to face Australia in three ODIs in April. He finished as the team's leading wicket-taker with five wickets at an average of 29.00 from two matches, however he surrendered runs at in excess of eight an over, the second highest in the series of those who had amazed at least ten. Bangladesh lost the series 3–0 and in the third match, Mortaza took his 150th ODI wicket with the dismissal of Callum Ferguson. The knee injury incurred in December required medical procedure which was conceded until May; the operation left him unable to play cricket until at least October.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board established the six-team Bangladesh Premier League in 2012, a twenty20 tournament to be held in February that year. An auction was held for teams to purchase players, and Mortaza was purchased by the Dhaka Gladiators for $45,000. On his arrival to serious cricket Mortaza was made captain of Dhaka Gladiators. Before the tournament had started, he answered to have been approached with a solicitation to participate in spot-fixing. Driven by Mortaza, who took ten wickets from eleven matches, Dhaka won the BPL's inaugural season. Soon after the tournament closed, Bangladesh facilitated the 2012 Asia Cup; after losing to Pakistan the past December, five new players called into Bangladesh's 15-man squad, including Mortaza who was making his return to the national side after injury. When the BCB announced its central contracts for 2012 in March, Mortaza retained his top level contract. Against expectations Bangladesh advanced to the cup final against Pakistan; it was only the second time Bangladesh had reached the final of a tournament. Though he had played in the BPL, bowling ten overs in the ODIs rather than only four for each match end up being a challenge for Mortaza. Though in the penultimate game he battled he regained full wellness to bowl in the final, and finished as Bangladesh's leading seamer with six wickets from four matches.
Playing style
Pitches in Bangladesh are generally moderate and suit spin bowling; the local circuit is dominated by spin bowlers and former Bangladesh coach Jamie Siddons recommended the pitches discourages the rise of fast bowlers. Regardless of 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 quite a while Mortaza was acclaimed as the fastest bowler that Bangladesh had delivered, however Shahadat Hossain is currently considered faster. Mortaza utilizes his aggressive bowling to challenge batsmen. Although a naturally aggressive player, his accurate bowling has prompted comparisons with Australian fast-bowler Glenn McGrath. He has been depicted by commentators as having "a solid strong physic ... sheer pace and stamina with an aggressive frame of mind". After his knee injury, Mortaza was forced to alter his bowling action somewhat, and lost some pace. He has attempted to build up his utilization of reverse swing in an attempt to turn into an increasingly viable bowler.
Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, has stated that he trusts Mortaza doesn't get the bowling figures he merits because "opposing teams tend to see him off and then attack the others". Mortaza has also remarked that "it always squeezes the bowlers when their side is bowled out cheaply in the first innings", something that the Bangladesh batting line-up has sometimes battled with.
Although primarily a bowler, Mortaza is an aggressive batsman as demonstrated by his high Test match strike rate of 67.25. He holds Bangladeshi records for 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 likes to take a stage towards square leg to facilitate his incredible shots. He has endured a plethora of injuries, in his own words from 2007: "Left knee, three operations; right knee, one operation; back, stress fracture—it's better presently yet at the same time gives some difficulty—some shoulder issues; ankles, damaged ligaments twice". Since then he has endured further injury, and in total has experienced four medical procedures to his left side knee and three to his right side, and three on his ankles.
Records
Test matches
Highest ninth wicket partnership for Bangladesh: 77 with Shahadat Hossain v India, 18 May 2007
Highest batting strike rate of Bangladesh players facing 1,000 balls or increasingly (67.20)
ODI matches
Highest ninth wicket partnership for Bangladesh: 97 with Shakib Al Hasan v Pakistan, 16 April 2007
Highest batting strike rate of Bangladesh players facing 1,000 balls or increasingly (89.00)
Most catches for Bangladesh by a non-wicketkeeper (50)
Best bowling figures by a Bangladesh player (6/26 versus Kenya)
He is popular in his old neighborhood, leading to him being named their 'Prince of Hearts'.

At Govt. Victoria School, Narail, Mortaza met Sumona Haque Shumi, whom he married in 2006