'Ashraful still has to prove himself' - Minhajul Abedin
Although Kalabagan Krira Chakra finished last in the league phase of the Dhaka Premier League, Mohammad Ashraful had some great individual innings with the bat. The former Bangladesh captain clubbed three centuries in 11 matches in the league.
Ashraful’s ban from professional cricket was partially lifted in 2016, allowing him to play in domestic cricket. However, he is yet to complete five-year ban that runs up to August 2018.
There are many people who want Ashraful to feature in the national side once again. But, for now, Bangladesh’s chief selector Minhajul Abedin has dismissed his chances of making a return to the national team.
“He (Ashraful) still has to prove himself,” said Minhajul Abedin. “He has just returned to domestic cricket after serving a ban. He is yet to complete the ban in international cricket and BPL. So we are not thinking about him right now.”
“Apart from his game, we have to consider Ashraful's past life and activities. He got involved in a matter of fixing. So we will consider all those things because there is a matter of opinion among other cricketers regarding his inclusion in the team. BCB's decision is also an issue,” he added.
According to the chief selector, Ashraful has to prove himself in BPL and BCL as well. He also revealed that the inclusion of Ashraful can be considered once he gets rid of the ban.
He said, "We have seen him score three centuries. But there is no point in hoping so quickly. He has to prove himself in the BCL and BPL. Moreover, he has to get rid of the ban and then we can think about it.”
Mohammad Ashraful stands 11th in the run-getters list in DPL with a total of 460 runs to his name. Apart from his three 100+ innings in 11 games, he has been somewhat inconsistent in the tournament with an average of 15.83 in the other eight matches.
Bangladesh technical director Khaled Mahmud Sujon doesn’t seem to be impressed by Ashraful’s performance in DPL. He thinks that Ashraful should have been among the top run-scorers after hitting three centuries.
He said, “He is doubtless a very big player and Bangladesh's first superstar. But even though he scored three centuries, he was not consistent.”
“He should have been the top run-scorer in the league after three centuries, but that did not happen. Instead, he is in 11th or 12th [11th] position. But even then, it is important that he is scoring runs after returning to the game after a long time,” added Sujon
