Bangladesh Cricket Ace Mashrafe Mortaza to Stand in Elections in December

Bangladesh One Day International (ODI) skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will be a candidate in the upcoming elections which will be held in December, the ruling party confirmed.

Bangladesh One Day International (ODI) skipper Mashrafe Mortaza will be a candidate in the upcoming elections which will be held in December, the ruling party confirmed.

The 35-year-old enjoys a ‘super-celebrity’ status in the cricket fanatic Bangladesh. His photograph was published alongside Hasina on the front-pages of multiple newspapers in the country.

According to AFP, a spokesman for Hasina’s Awami League said Mashrafe had been given the “green light” from the prime minister, who is seeking a third consecutive term in office on December 30.

“He plans to contest from Narail,” said spokesman Mahbubul Alam Hanif, referring to Mashrafe’s hometown district in western Bangladesh. Mashrafe has not commented publicly on his running for the Awami League. Cricketing authorities said there was no prohibition on active players trying their hand at politics. “To run in an election is his constitutional right. If he wants to exercise these rights, we have no issue,” Bangladesh Cricket Board spokesman Jalal Yunus told AFP.

(AFP Inputs)