Mashrafe flying back to Bangladesh from England as wife falls sick

Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza has caught a flight back home from Bangladesh’s training camp in Sussex to be with his wife who has been hospitalised.

His wife Sumona Haque was taken ill on Saturday morning. She passed out at one point before being rushed to the hospital.

On getting the news, Mashrafe, who trained with the team in England for just two days, flew for Dhaka in the evening (BST).

The Tigers’ ODI captain was supposed to reach Dhaka on Sunday afternoon. But a delay in the initial flight on his way back meant he is now scheduled to arrive after 11pm Sunday.

Mashrafe spoke to bdnews24.com while waiting for transit in Dubai.

“She has suddenly fallen ill. It may not be something to be taken lightly as she has been taken to hospital," he said.

“Everyone back home asked me not to return right now, to wait for a couple of days. But I would’ve thought twice if there was a game. It’s important that I am with her now.”

Sumona is being treated by a family doctor at a clinic in the capital.

The Bangladesh team flew off to England on the night of Apr 26. They will play their first practice match in Sussex on Monday, against the Duke of Norfolk's XI.

Another warm-up is scheduled for May 5 before the team set off for Ireland’s tri-nation series two days later.

The tri-series, which also involves New Zealand, begins on May 12.

Mashrafe, however, will miss the opener due to the over-rate suspension on him in Bangladesh's last series in Sri Lanka.