Minhajul Abedin Feels It's Tough For Mohammad Ashraful to Stage a Comeback

After serving the five-year absence from gentleman’s game cricket, the banned Bangladesh batsman, Mohammad Ashraful is eyeing an international comeback. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) selector Minhajul Abedin believes Ashraful has a lot to do.

Pertinent to mention that Ashraful faced the five-year ban after his involvement during the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) spot-fixing scandal which surfaced in 2013.

Ashraful got three years ban from the domestic cricket while as he faced punishment of five-years in international cricket.

The 34-year-old Bangladeshi cricketer is hopeful for a strong comeback as his ban is ending on August 13. After serving his ban, Ashraful will be eligible to represent Bangladeshi team once again.

Chief selector of BCB Minhajul Abedin sheds light:

While talking with the reporters, Abedin told reporters at Mirpur on Sunday (August 12) that it will be a herculean task for Ashraful. He said that with the current fitness levels, he would find it difficult to prove his worth.

“At the moment there is no place for him in the national team. We maintain high standards [of] fitness for the national team, along with high performance and Bangladesh A team. To attain that level of fitness, he needs to be given some time, and only if he achieves it, we can think about him. But, as of now, we are not thinking about him anywhere,” Abedin.

Mohammad Ashraful on his comeback:

The comment from chief selector came after hours when the banned cricketer told the local media about his return in the international fold.

“Playing for Bangladesh [again] will be like a dream come true for me. It will be my biggest achievement, and I was eagerly waiting for this day when I will be eligible to play [again].”, Ashraful said.

Mohammad Ashraful initially received a ban of eight years from international cricket.

The ban on him was imposed by a special tribunal committee of Anti-corruption Unit (ACU) of BCB. However, after an appeal, his ban was cut down to five years then.

In conclusion, Minhajul Abedin seems far more pessimistic about the return of Mohammad Ashraful.

“It has been more than five years since the day I admitted my involvement. Although I have played domestic cricket in the last two seasons, there is now nothing preventing me from being eligible for national selection.”, he added.