Mushfiqur Rahim to donate double century bat to raise funds for COVID-19 relief
Former Bangladesh captain, Mushfiqur Rahim has pledged to donate the bat with which he scored his first double century in the Test format to raise funds for the COVID-19 relief.
In the last week of March, it was also reported that a number of Bangladesh cricketers were coming forward to pool in a total of approximately 25 lakh Bangladesh Takas to fund the relief efforts.
Following that gesture, the right-hander took to Twitter and announced his decision to fuel the relief efforts and help the coronavirus victims in Bangladesh.
"Definitely, the bat is very special to me because it is attached to history. Not everyone can become the first double centurion for his country. I had special liking for this bat. But there is nothing more important than human life and so I have decided to put it into the auction," Mushfiqur Rahim said as per India Today.
Mushfiqur Rahim keen to donate more
The wicketkeeper-batsman's famous double hundred came against Sri Lanka in Galle back in 2013. In the first Test as part of Bangladesh's tour of Sri Lanka, his double century helped Bangladesh take a crucial first innings lead, despite the hosts putting up 570/4 dec on the board.
The then captain's 321-ball 200, and imperative knocks from Mohammad Ashraful (190) and Nasir Hossain (100) helped Bangladesh to 638 all out, giving them a handy 68-run lead.
"If through this sacrifice I can help one or two people than that will be my biggest achievement. If I find a good response in the auction for the bat then I have got few more things that I will put up in the auction. I don’t think there is nothing important than helping out people during their time of distress," the wicketkeeper-batsman added.
One of Bangladesh's mainstays across formats since his debut in 2005 against England at Lord's, Mushfiqur Rahim has played 70 Tests, 218 ODIs and 86 T20Is for the national side.