Dhaka: Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza showed his gratitude towards the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to motivate them always when the people kept them in relentless pressure, which sometimes goes beyond the limitation.

The captain said the Prime Minister congratulated them to move into the final of the tri-series in which they are facing off West Indies today to win a trophy that eluded them six times earlier. At the same time, she advised them to play without any pressure.

‘Honourable prime minister has congratulated us. She told us to play without any tension,’ Mashrafe told the reporters in Dublin on Thursday, reports the UNB.

‘There is pressure of being champion. She always talks to us, congratulate us but never imposed pressure on us that we have to be champions,’ he added.

‘Wherever I go, everyone tells me to win trophy. But our Prime Minister is the only one who never said anything like this,’ he said.

‘Before the Asia Cup final in last year she told us that, listen people don’t know much about the game, me also. But I know one thing that to play the final is a big achievement. It’s not like that you must win, I am always happy if you only try. When your Prime Minister thinks like this, it gives a lot of inspiration,’ Mashrafe remarked.

Having failed to win the final on last six occasions, Bangladesh earned the tag of choker but they are determined to turn the things around this time. In the ongoing tri-series that also involved hosts Ireland, Bangladesh remains unbeaten so far having won three matches with quite ease. Their other match against Ireland in double-league tournament was washed out without a ball being bowled due to heavy rain.

Bangladesh played their first final in 2009 against Sri Lanka in a tri nation series at home. Bangladesh lost the match by two wickets. Thereafter their second heartbreak was against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup when they were beaten by two runs.

Four years later Bangladesh lost to India in Asia Cup Twenty20 final while in 2018 they lost final on three occasions.