Coronavirus outbreak: Mushfiqur Rahim to auction bat for raising funds
What's the story
Bangladesh batsman Mushfiqur Rahim is all set to auction his bat in order to raise funds amid coronavirus pandemic. The star wicket-keeper slammed his maiden Test double ton against Sri Lanka in 2013 with this bat. Ahead of the donation, Mushfiqur described how special this bat is to him. The 32-year-old revealed he may put some more items for auction after seeing the response.
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'This bat is very special to me', says Mushfiqur
"Definitely, the bat is very special to me because it is attached to history. Not everyone can become the first double centurion for his country. But nothing is more important than human life. So I have decided to put it into the auction," Rahim said.
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler auctioned his jersey earlier this month
With quite a few players offering donations to help fight coronavirus, England's Jos Buttler also auctioned his 2019 World Cup final jersey. He auctioned the shirt to raise money for the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospital. "It's an amazing amount of money. It's a very special shirt, but it takes on extra meaning with it going to an emergency cause," Buttler had stated.
Double ton
Mushfiqur scripted history in Sri Lanka
Batting first, Sri Lanka racked up a mammoth 570/4d in the first Test at Galle. In reply, Mohammad Ashraful (190) and Mushfiqur (200) bolstered the Bangladesh innings despite losing early wickets. Although the match ended in a draw, Mushfiqur became the first Bangladesh batsman to score a double hundred in Test cricket. He scored two more double tons in 2018 and 2020 respectively.
Auction
Nothing is more important than helping out people
Mushfiqur asserted that he could add a few more items to the auction-list after seeing the response. "If I find a good response in the auction for the bat then I have got few more things that I will put up in the auction," he said. He added, "I don't think there is nothing important than helping out people during their time of distress."