Mohammad Ashraful Eyes Bangladesh Comeback As His Ban Nears An End

Mohammad Ashraful has expressed his desire of playing for Bangladesh once again as his ban nears an end.

Perhaps no player has divided opinions in Bangladesh as Ashraful. In his teens, he was the most sought after batsman in Bangladesh, giving the fans optimism with his brave displays.

Whether it was in becoming the youngest Test centurion in 2001, the unbeaten 158 against India in 2004, the stunning 100 against Australia in Cardiff in 2005 or the splendid 87 against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup, Ashraful gave his countrymen a lot to cherish. His 190 against Sri Lanka in 2013 after returning to the side revived old memories. However, the hero soon turned into villain.

He received a five-year ban for involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. The ban will  officially end on August 13. As a result, Ashraful will be eligible to play international cricket as well as his country’s premier T20 competition. He has already been allowed to play in Bangladesh’s domestic competitions on the same day in 2016.

And with the ban period almost ended, Ashraful is harbouring hopes of donning the Bangladesh jersey once again.

“I have been waiting for August 13, 2018 for a long time now,” Ashraful told ESPNcricinfo. “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.

“Playing for Bangladesh again will be my greatest achievement,” he added.

Ashraful has done really well in domestic competition in the last couple of years. But while he has done well in List A games, he has struggled in the longer format.  The right-hander averages 47.63 and scored a remarkable five centuries in List A games in the last season. But in 13 first-class games, he scored at an average of 21.85, scoring just one century.

“The first season after my return wasn’t great but I did well in the 2017-18 season,” he said.

“I hope to do even better in the coming seasons. Now I can be considered for selection through my performance. I have already gone through a month-long training program and after August 15, I will go into pre-season training leading into the upcoming season’s National Cricket League,” he added.