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A fighter in every sense

Sports Reporter
Ask what Mashrafee-bin-Mortuza thrives on? 99 per cent of the time the Bangladesh fast bowler will respond with the reply: "I always love to rise to a challenge."
This might be an understatement from the Narail quick who has had both knees operated. Seeing Mashrafee still bowling with same aggression on his face one would wonder what willpower could do for someone whose career looked all but over only a year ago.
His appearance gives you the feeling of a street fighter and his teammates always appreciate his whole-hearted effort on the field. Any captain would love to have a bowler like Mashrafee in his side. And the forthcoming inaugural Afro-Asia Cup to be held South Africa from August 17-21 will be no exception for the 21-year-old right-armer, who initially was selected as a stand-by in the Inzamamul Haq-led Asian Eleven side.
"This is a different sort of challenge for me because I want to prove a point. I want to show that I've earned my call-up," said confident Mashrafee, who along with fellow national teammate Mohammad Ashraful will fly to South Africa today.
There is a chance he might share the new ball with the Pakistani quick Shoaib Akhtar in the series but the Bangladesh paceman was little concerned about the prospect.
"I've been told by many people in the last few days that it would be an wonderful experience for me to share the new ball with arguably the fastest bowler in the world. But this may sound strange I'm not his greatest fan," said Mashrafee, who is dubbed the 'Narail Express'.
"There is doubt Shoaib is show-stopper because his incredible bursts of speed. But I enjoy swing bowling because that is the real beauty of fast bowling," he added.
Like Ashraful, the leading Bangladesh bowler, who represented Bangladesh in 18 Tests and 24 ODIs so far, was also focusing on the upcoming challenge in Sri Lanka.
"To play for Bangladesh is something different for me. I'm looking forward to the Sri Lanka series because it is very important tour for us after the England tour. Especially, I want to be one of the best performers in Sri Lanka," said Mashrafee, who always stood head and shoulders above his teammates during any tour.
He, however, believed that the three-match one-day series would be extremely helpful for them.
"We're going to play the one-day series first in Sri Lanka that's why a good performance in the Afro-Asia competition will lift our morale. We can also share experiences with some great players," he added.
Bangladesh captain Habibul Bashar said yesterday during the Tigers' practice at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla Stadium that any good performances from his two young guns would enhance the confidence of the national team ahead of the Sri Lanka tour.
"They (Ashraful and Mashrafee) are real assets in our team and that's why its important they do well in South Africa. I believe that they have the ability to lift our image," said Bashar.