Former Bangladesh all-rounder Mosharraf Hossain, who represented his national team in five ODIs and scored tons of runs in first-class cricket while also taking wickets efficiently with his left-arm spin, has passed away following a three-year battle with brain cancer at the age of 40.
Late last year, Hossain had undergone brain surgery in a hospital in Chennai. But his health had been deteriorating earlier this year due to which he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of United Hospital in Dhaka last month, before passing away on April 19, said a report in mirror.co.uk on Wednesday.
The cricketer is survived by his wife and one child.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took to their social media account to express its sorrow.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) mourns the passing of former Bangladesh National Team player Mosharraf Hossain Rubel. The left-arm spinner amassed over 550 wickets across all formats in a career spanning two decades. The BCB extends profound sympathies and condolences,” BCB tweeted.
Hossain began his cricketing career in 2001/02 as a student in Dhaka University, before moving on to regional side Barisal Division in 2004/05 and Dhaka Division up to the end of the 2006/07 campaign.
He represented Bangladesh A in the same period before making his first appearance for the national side in 2008 against South Africa, said the report.
He then made a comeback against Afghanistan in October 2016, playing his second ODI after being in the wilderness for nearly eight years, the longest interval between international appearances for a Bangladeshi cricketer. His last of the five ODIs was played against England where he managed to take a total of four ODI wickets.
However, Mosharraf Hossain was a big name at first-class level. Renowned for being a consistent bowler, he picked up 392 wickets at an average of 29.02 in 112 games. “Hossain is one of seven cricketers to score 3,000 runs and take 300 wickets in first-class cricket in Bangladesh,” the report stated.
He won the Player-of-the-Match award in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League final for his 3/26 effort for Dhaka Gladiators.
(Inputs from IANS)