Ex- Bangladesh cricketer Mosharraf Hossain has died aged 40. The spin bowler has been suffering with brain cancer for the last three years and was undergoing treatment.
In November last year, Hossain underwent brain surgery in a hospital in Chennai. His health deteriorated earlier this year, and he was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) of United Hospital in Dhaka last month, before passing away on April 19.
He is survived by his wife and one child. The national side took to its Twitter account to pay tribute to their former player.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) mourns the passing of former Bangladesh National Team player Musharraf Hossain Rubel,” a tweet said. “The left-arm spinner amassed over 550 wickets across all formats in a career spanning two decades. The BCB extends profound sympathies and condolences.”
Nicknamed Rubel, Hossain's career began in the 2001–02 season while he was a Dhaka University student, before a stint with 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.
On 1 October 2016, against Afghanistan, he made his comeback in the national side when he played his second ODI match after a near eight-year gap, the longest between international appearances for a Bangladeshi cricketer. He played a total of five matches for his country, the last coming against England , and took a total of four wickets.
Hossain featured more frequently at first-class level, and was renowned for being one of Bangladesh's most consistent bowlers, as he picked up 392 wickets at an average of 29.02 in 112 matches. Hossain is one of seven cricketers to score 3000 runs and take 300 wickets in first-class cricket in Bangladesh.
One of the finest moments of his career came when he was awarded the Player-of-the-Match award in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League final, which was won by Dhaka Gladiators. His impressive figures of 3-26 were key in his side becoming champions of the tournament for the second time.
