Mashrafe wants to carry on despite injury issues

Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza wanted to carry on playing cricket for the love of the game and had no fixed target in mind regarding domestic cricket appearances at this stage of his career.

Mashrafe attended practice today ahead of his Dhaka Premier League (DPL) side Legends of Rupganj's match tomorrow. The paceman had been unable to complete the recently-concluded Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) due to a recurring back injury but did not undergo surgery in India as the rehabilitation period would have seen him miss out on cricket for nine months.

"I have undergone treatment [in India]. [Recovering after] surgery would have been a long-term thing. Right now it's about adjusting and carrying on playing as long as possible. If I underwent operation, then I would have missed domestic cricket. That's why I am trying to manage [pain] and play as much as possible. 

"We have a match tomorrow and hoping that I will be able to play. I don't have a target. I am just playing cricket because it feels good. There are numerous players in the Dhaka [Premier] League for 10-15 years. They don't have different targets. Some play because they enjoy it and some for their livelihood. Let's see how long I can play. I didn't do any back surgery before and the doctor advised against surgery this time around. It will take nine months to get fit. I don't feel there is a point in undergoing surgery and then doing rehabilitation for nine months to get back on the field. Since there is no focus on the national team from my side, it's more about staying away from surgeries now," the former ODI captain said.

Asked regarding how he faces the recurring injury issues that have surfaced so many times over a long career, Mashrafe said he got used to injuries.

"I have adjusted to it. I played the BPL [with injury]. When I can hit the length well enough, I feel ok 'I am fine'. It's important for me but when the ball doesn't pitch in the right place, I feel that 'it's done'."