DHAKA, March 27, 2022 (BSS)-Former Bangladesh skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza 
was spellbound by the dedication of Shakib Al Hasan and Taskin Ahmed, the two 
players who were instrumental in the side's first ever series victory on 
South African soil.

Shakib, who led Bangladesh's maiden victory on South African soil, hitting a 
brilliant 64 ball-77, played the whole series when almost all of his family 
members were going through various health crisis back in the country.

Taskin Ahmed on the other hand, had got an opportunity to play IPL for 
Lucknow Supergiants but had to say 'no' to the franchise after the Bangladesh 
Cricket Board (BCB) refused to release him. However the IPL snub didn't put 
any impact on his performance as he scalped 5-35 to help the side win the 
last match by 9 wickets and thereby win the series.

"Four or five family members of Shakib were sick back home. We must see 
Shakib's sacrifice. He could have left if he wanted. But he stayed in South 
Africa. It's unbelievable, because not one or two, almost everyone was ill in 
his family," Mashrafe said of Shakib.

"The biggest thing is he wanted to win the series. It would be said to be a 
bit selfish, from my point of view. Because at the end of the day everyone in 
his family was sick. It was Shakib's decision. Shakib has managed to handle 
both aspects very well, for this, hats off to Shakib," the former skipper 
added.

Shakib however scalped 2-18 in the crucial third and final game. Though 
Taskin was the ultimate match winner of the last match, South African coach 
Mark Boucher said it was Shakib whose bowling stifled their innings.

Mashrafe further said Taskin should be rewarded for sacrificing the IPL. 

"Taskin definitely should be rewarded. If you look at Anderson and Broad, the 
ECB does not always compensate them, but gives them the reward since they are 
serving the country without playing IPL. If the cricketers are rewarded, they 
would be glad to sacrifice more, thinking that they have the board beside 
them to look after their needs," Mashrafe said. 

Mashrafe led Bangladesh to reach quarterfinal of ICC Cricket World Cup in 
2015, which remains the country's best success in the cricket's biggest 
extravaganza. However, he believes Tamim Iqbal and his troop could go past 
this success in 2023 World Cup in India. 

"It is my belief that this team has the ability to move to the semifinals, 
since the World Cup will be held in India," he said. 

According to Mashrafe, luck is needed to win an event like the World Cup.

"After the 2019 World Cup, I said - this team has everything possible at 
their disposal to win the World Cup. But for that, the players have to be 
fit. There are many matches and series ahead of the World Cup. They also have 
to end well. It is important for important players to be in good shape and 
healthy before the World Cup, "said Mashrafe.

"There is no end to the progress. When a team starts playing well, there are 
also some weak points. The less mistakes you make in a big tournament, the 
better it is. This ODI team has been playing well since 2015. A rhythm has 
come. This rhythm also works in the brain when the team starts playing ODIs. 
This is a very good opportunity," he concluded.