Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza said that his team is made up of a “great bunch of boys”, who believe they can beat anybody in the upcoming ICC World Cup 2019 in England.
Addressing the Captains Press Conference along with the nine other participating captains in London on Thursday, Mortaza said the team was extremely “excited” to begin their fixtures in the tournament, which begins next week.
He said: “The team is made up of a great bunch of boys who have been playing some really exciting cricket.
“Cricket is a game where on the day you can beat anybody. We will be hoping to start well and then hang in there. We are confident, but everything depends on a good start.”
During a question asked of every captain on which one player from another team they would pick if given a chance, Mortaza picked Indian captain Virat Kohli, whom he described as a great batsman.
In reference to leading Bangladesh in the tournament in England, the all-rounder added: “It is a real honour. It will be all about our mental preparation. The tournament is now very close and we are all excited as a group.”
His views were echoed by fellow captains – India's Kohli, Afghanistan’s Gulbadin Naib, Australia’s Aaron Finch, Pakistan’s Sarfraz Ahmed, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, South Africa’s Faf du Plessis, Sri Lanka’s Dimuth Karunaratne and West Indian captain Jason Holder.
England captain Eoin Morgan welcomed the home advantage and being close to home and family through the World Cup games.
“They call it home advantage for a reason... Let’s just say I had never dreamt of the day I would be leading the England squad in a World Cup on home ground,” said Morgan.