Mashrafe in the election field

Bangladesh ODI captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has taken on a new challenge, reports bdnews24.com.

This field is different from the one where he earned his status as a household name. And the expectations of the crowd are not limited to wins and losses.

The captain has entered politics and is in a race for the 11th national parliament.

A win would mean that Bangladesh's leader on the cricket field would take up the Narail-2 seat. Mashrafe is preparing for his latest test, which is to be played on December 30.

His skills on the cricketing field have captured the hearts of 160 million people across Bangladesh. But now his focus is on the 327,000 voters who make up the Narail-2 constituency of Narail Sadar and Lohagora Upazila.

Even after his confirmation as the Awami League candidate for Narail-2, Mashrafe was busy with his cricketing duties. He led the Tigers to a whitewash of the West Indies in the ODI series that ended on December 14.

But a hamstring injury from the games kept him from the election field for a few days longer. Mashrafe eventually came to Narail on December 22, with only a week left before the election.

He does, however, have one advantage. His name is known by voters across the country.

Election work had kept him from bed until nearly sunrise, so Mashrafe's campaign day started a little later. It was nearly 10:30am by the time he set out. His election office was across from his house and there he planned out his day. There activists reminded him of the twin mantras of his campaign - 'a small team' and 'the safety of his opponents'.

Mashrafe has prioritised visits to remote areas in his campaign. He has a motorcycle to speed up travel. But he does not want his voters to think of it as a power play or create unrest. He tells his supporters repeatedly to keep the size of the team accompanying him small.

Mashrafe has one other demand, which he made at the start of his campaign - none of his rivals should be attacked or blocked from campaigning.

His plea went not only to the activists working on his campaign, but also the local administration, who he called upon to ensure security.

On Monday night, he spoke to the Jatiya Oikya Front candidate Dr Fariduzzaman Farhad and assured him that his campaign would do all in his power to prevent any obstruction to his opponent's campaign. He reminded his activists of the promise at the start of the day.

Mashrafe's campaign largely revolves around public rallies in the villages in his constituency. He began attending them on Sunday.

Each rally of Mashrafe seemed the same. A sea of people turning out to see the famed cricketer. It was difficult for Mashrafe to get off his motorcycle and reach the stage. The air filled with slogans.

Mashrafe is from Narail. But happy tears streamed down the faces of many attendees who came to see him. To catch a glimpse of their famed son seemed to lend an air of wonder to the proceedings. The young people were enraptured, but so was Aslam Sheikh, an elder who came to the rally at Jhikira.

"I have only seen our star on TV. Seeing him in person is bringing tears to my eyes. He is Narail's treasure."

Mashrafe gave similar speeches at the rallies. He did not take much time, nor did he make elaborate addresses. He did not woo the audience with lofty dreams or grandiose promises. He spoke plainly.