ports Reporter : Bangladesh all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz expressed his willingness to play the English county cricket after getting an offer from Warwickshire.
English spinner Jake Lintott who played for Mohammedan with Miraz in the recently concluded Dhaka Premier League (DPL) recommended his side Warwickshire to rope in Miraz’s service for one-day super league. Pacer Mustafizur Rahman was the last Bangladeshi player to represent the country in the world’s most prestigious cricket league when he played for Sussex in 2016.”A proposal to play the English county cricket came from Warwickshire. They are keen to get my service in the one-day league. To be honest, I am also very keen to play county cricket. The tournament will be held in August. If national team schedule permits, I am eager to play four/ five matches in county cricket,” Miraz said here yeserday.
“Lintott basically told me to play county cricket when we played together for Mohammedan Sporting Club. I also showed my enthusiasm to play there. County cricket is the most prestigious league in the world. Since the opportunity came I will approach the board to give me the permission if there is no national team commitment. This is a 50-over tournament, hopefully board won’t deny me,” he added.The 2023 one-day cup in England will run from August 01 to September 16.There is around a six-week interval for Bangladesh team following the end of Bangladesh-Afghanistan series on July 16, after which the Asia Cup is set to begin on September 02.
County clubs generally sign contract with cricketers to play usually for a season or match-by-match. It is learnt Warwickshire club will pay Miraz heavily but the all-rounder does not consider the financial aspect. He wants to have experience to play the county cricket. “I have heard from everyone that playing in the county improves the quality of cricketers. There has been a good feel in atmosphere, wicket, condition and everything. So I want to go. Let’s see what happens. If I’m lucky, I’ll go and play a few matches,” he added.The cricketers however are now on a long vacation. They have some time off before Bangladesh host Afghanistan for a solitary Test in June. Miraz said he would start practice very soon and would work on his batting and bowling.
