Former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza tests positive for COVID-19
Former Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza has become the latest cricketer to test positive for the coronavirus. A few days ago, former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi had tested positive for COVID-19, and recently along with Mortaza, another former Bangladesh player Nafees Iqbal has come in contact with this virus.
As per Sportstar, Mashrafe Mortaza was not feeling well for the last few days. The local media stated that the former Kolkata Knight Riders player's family members had tested positive for COVID-19 a few days back. His brother Morsalin bin Mortaza gave the following statement to the sources -
"He wasn't keeping well for the last couple of days, so he had undergone a test. The results have come positive, and now he has been home-quarantined," said Mortaza in the statement.
Mashrafe Mortaza played 36 Tests and 54 T20Is for Bangladesh before announcing his retirement from the two formats. He stayed active in the 50-overs format, but he gave up his captaincy to Tamim Iqbal earlier this year.
Apart from Mashrafe Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal's elder brother tests positive for COVID-19
The same report also states that Bangladesh ODI captain Tamim Iqbal's elder brother and ex-Bangladesh batsman Nafees Iqbal has also tested positive for coronavirus. Nafees did not have a long international career, but he scored a brilliant Test hundred against Zimbabwe. The former Chittagong Vikings player appeared in 11 Tests and 16 ODIs for his nation, aggregating over 800 runs.
The Coronavirus situation has improved in a few nations, including Bangladesh. As per some reports, BCCI is planning to conduct IPL 2020 in the coming months. However, the board has clarified that health and safety will always be the priorities for them, ahead of organising any matches.