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Mashrafe missing in more ways than one

Mazhar Uddin from Chattogram
Where is Mashrafe Bin Mortaza? Inquisitive eyes were searching for the inspirational Bangladesh OD1 skipper when his team, Dhaka Platoon, were practising at the MA Aziz Stadium in Chattogram yesterday on the eve of their BBPL match against Chattogram Challengers.
Mashrafe's presence always creates a positive ambiance and he has always been fully committed to his team regardless of whether it was national team duty or for any other team.
Surprisingly, Mashrafe's association with Dhaka Platoon has not been as visible as it was with other franchises in previous editions.
His absence was further highlighted by the absence of another senior, Tamim Iqbal -- who was not there due to high fever.
There was a similar scenario ahead of the tournament when Dhaka had started their preparation camp involving local cricketers. Mashrafe was available for the first two days, only to miss most part of the remaining days and join the team ahead of the tournament - a characteristic most unlike Mashrafe indeed.
The 36-year-old has also been struggling to find his rhythm with the ball since a dismal performance in the World Cup in England, where the right-arm paceman managed only one wicket.
Most importantly, there was a big question mark over his fitness during the world's biggest 50-over competition that many believed harm the progress of the team in the tournament.
However, he looked in good shape in terms of fitness and managed to reduce a significant amount of weight ahead of the tournament while also recovering from a back injury. The cricketer-tumed-politician did spend a significant amount of time away from cricket as he maintained
a distance from the cricketers' movement in October this year but the strides he has apparently made in terms of fitness have not been reflected in his bowling.
Mashrafe has picked three wickets in three matches in the ongoing tournament at an economy of 7.40 and, more importantly, the cricketer was seen limping around - as was the case during the World Cup - creating doubts about his match fitness.
Even the pacer's inclusion in the Dhaka team was not without drama. The most successful captain in the history of the BPL was not drafted until last moment despite being an A+-category player. Dhaka eventually picked Mashrafe in the seventh round of the draft and it was learned that an integral member of the team had pushed the management to pick Mashrafe. That required permission from the BPL Draft Commission, given Dhaka Platoon had already picked Tamim as their A+ category player but it was granted through a discussion during the break in the draft.
So far, Mashrafe's return to competitive cricket after the World Cup in July this year has barely provided any indication that he is going to prove people wrong with another exemplary comeback.
Team officials informed that Mashrafe had joined Dhaka Platoon on Monday and was at the hotel during practice yesterday.
With curiosity growing over Masharfe's absence, Dhaka head coach Mohammad Salauddin was queried and the former Bangladesh assistant coach replied: "He is fine. I think it is okay and I think we don't need to think about him.
"He |Mashrafe| is always fit He is doing the thing that he needs to do now. He is in the gym. 1 think it is more important for him to get his fitness back. There is no reason for anyone to think that he is not involved because he is not on the field |for practice sessions]. He is very much involved. He is busy doing gym and swimming which is needed for him now," he added.