Mohammad Ashraful Not Picked In BCL Players’ Draft
Nov 18, 2018 at 4:04 PM
Not a single team picked up former Bangladesh skipper Mohammad Ashraful in the newly-introduced players draft for the upcoming edition of Bangladesh Cricket League.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board decided to introduce the draft to distribute the players amongst the four zones who will take part in the seventh edition of the tournament. Previously, the selectors used to distribute the players among the four zones. However, the previous distribution did not ensure a balanced team. Consequently, the BCB decided to change the system and introduce the players draft.
But the new system did not bring the desired result for Mohammad Ashraful.
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 initially received an eight-year ban for involvement in match-fixing and spot-fixing in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. A one-member appeal panel had then reduced his ban to five years, with the last two years to be reprieved upon producing a certificate of good conduct from the ICC through participation in the ‘anti-corruption education and training programme’.
In 2016, Bangladesh Cricket Board allowed him to play in domestic competition. And he hit the ground running, scoring five centuries in the Dhaka Premier League. However, he struggled to do well in the longer format. The right-hander could score only 253 runs in 10 innings at an average of 25.30 for Dhaka Metropolis in the last edition.
Not surprisingly, Ashraful is disappointed with the latest setback. However, he feels his poor show in the red-ball cricket is the reason behind the snub.
“It is surely disappointing to miss the BCL,” Ashraful told Cricbuzz.
”I couldn’t perform well in last National Cricket League. I think this may be the reason for anyone not picking me for BCL,'” he told the New Age.