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No point for apology: Mortaza
CHITTAGONG: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza on Tuesday refused to apologise to England for his team’s celebrations after Jos Buttler’s dismissal during Sunday’s
CHITTAGONG: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza on Tuesday refused to apologise to England for his team’s celebrations after Jos Buttler’s dismissal during Sunday’s second One-Day International (ODI) cricket match in Mirpur.
The International Cricket Council fined Mortaza and batsman Sabbir Rahman 20 per cent of their match fees because match officials deemed the duo had overstepped the mark.
The ICC also cautioned Buttler, who had reacted angrily to the dismissal following a TV replay.
“Actually we didn’t do anything wrong so we shouldn’t apologise,” Mortaza told reporters in Chittagong. “We just celebrated what we’ve felt. We don’t have to say sorry for that. Whatever happened, match referee was there (to judge it).”
England showed their anger even after the match, as Ben Stokes apparently refused to shake hands with Tamim Iqbal and engaged in a heated argument with the Bangladesh opener.
Mortaza said he had seen video footage of the row and defended Iqbal.
The ongoing three-match ODI series is currently locked at 1-1 after England won the first match by 21 runs and Bangladesh levelled with a 34-run win in the second match.
Mortaza said he hoped the Buttler incident would not affect their form in the crucial final match. “Our team is completely normal and I am hundred per cent sure that my team is not thinking about this,” the Bangladeshi captain said.
Bangladesh have brought left-arm spinner Taijul Islam into their squad for the third match as the hosts seek their seventh consecutive series win on home ground.
