Rakesh Ahuja
PORT ELIZABETH: His was one of the most high-profile bids during the second auction of DLF Indian Premier League in Goa. The tussle between Kings XI Punjab and Kolkata Knight Riders to get him on their rolls was a highlight. And after a 20-minute tussle, the longest for any player in the auction, he was taken by Knight Riders. Bangladesh became delirious, erupting in celebration as it welcomed Mashrafe Mortaza as one of its richest.
That was February. Cut to the present, Mortaza remains popular in Bangladesh. But there is a slight problem since he is yet to step on the field and justify his bidding price of $650,000. He has been travelling with the team but has not experienced the joy of being in the XI yet. To make things worse, the team has not been winning either.
Mortaza can do little except bowl in the training sessions and confesses that life on the sidelines is boring. "But I am looking forward to getting chances and doing well," Mortaza tells iplt20.com in an exclusive interview. "It has been difficult. But when I was signed up, I just wanted to bowl well and play well. I will keep working hard."
Mortaza has been inundated by calls from people back home who want to know when he would be seen in action. They can't wait to see him bowl in the DLF-IPL but he can only ask his fans and family to be patient.
The team management, on its part, cannot do much because with the batting struggling it is using up their quota of four overseas players in shoring that up. Sri Lanka's Ajantha Mendis has been the only overseas bowler who has played for Knight Riders so far.
Mortaza understands team management's predicament and backs it completely. "Whenever I speak to the team management, they speak positive things. It is tough because you have 10 overseas players and a team can pick only four. They have a tough job," he says.
Mortaza is hoping that the team's wretched run - it has won just one of the eight games - will end soon. He believes it is just a matter of one win for things to change. "All the guys are disappointed. I am a KKR player and I am too. We have to remain positive. It also depends on luck. Luck is not favouring our side."
It is indeed a tough phase for Mortaza and Knight Riders but he does not want to dwell much about it. His Bangladesh captain Mohammed Ashraful is also not playing currently. "We talk to each other," he says. "But there are other guys also who are not playing. As I said only four overseas players can be in the XI. But I leave everything to the management. I am not worried about that. I am not thinking about it. I have to show what I can do and I will do that."
Till he gets a chance, Mortaza is enjoying the company of his teammates and spends a lot of time watching other matches, especially the quick bowlers. "My favourite is Lasith Malinga because he is capable of such wonderful performances."
http://www.iplt20.com/Bored-with-lif...positive.shtml