Former Bangladesh spinner Mosharraf Hossain dies aged 40

Mosharraf Hossain, a former Bangladesh left-arm spinner, died in Dhaka at the age of 40. He was diagnosed with brain cancer in March of this year. He made a full recovery following therapy, but the tumor returned in November 2020.

Mosharraf, also known as Rubel, had been in hospital for the past few weeks but recently returned home after undergoing another round of chemotherapy.

Mosharraf was one of seven Bangladeshi cricketers to reach 3000 runs and 300 wickets in first-class cricket. Winning the Player-of-the-Match award in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final was one of his career highlights.

He was the first of three Bangladeshi cricketers to win the award in a BPL final, with Tamim Iqbal (2019) and Alok Kapali (2019) following closely behind (2015).

Mosharraf also has the longest gap between international appearances among Bangladesh cricketers. His next call-up came in 2016, when he was selected for an ODI series against Afghanistan, following his first series in 2008.

He also appeared in one One-Day International against England, which ended to being his final international match. Despite being brief, Mosharraf’s comeback was a testament to his steady domestic play, which is uncommon among Bangladesh cricketers.

While a student at Dhaka University, Mosharraf made his first-class debut in the 2001-02 season. He became a domestic legend, regularly finishing among the top five wicket-takers in tournaments such as the National Cricket League and the Dhaka Premier League.