Mohammad Ashraful - Talented prodigy to match fixing scam

For a player who is a rare talent for a team which is called a minnow and whose form is always up and down throughout his career the last thing he probably will want is to get involved in corruption. Mohammad Ashraful the talented Bangladeshi batsman has revealed that he has just done that.

ODI Debut:

Ashraful made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on 11 April 2001, where he made 9 runs and Bangladesh lost the match by 36 runs. He took his first international wicket in the match, that of Andy Flower.

Mohammad Ashraful

Test Debut:

Ashraful made his Test debut on 6 September 2001 against Sri Lanka. He top-scored in each innings, and although Bangladesh slumped to an innings defeat, Ashraful scored 114, and in the process became the youngest player to score a Test century, beating Mushtaq Mohammad's record, and was named man of the match. In the process, he became just the second Bangladesh player to score a Test century on debut, the first since Aminul Islam Bulbul in 2000 during Bangladesh's first Test. Trevor Chappell, a former coach of Bangladesh's national side, commented that "His determination, commitment and attention to detail would put a mature and an established person to shame. The manner he concentrates on his batting made me believe that the lad is destined to have a long cricketing journey." Following the century, Ashraful began receiving high expectations. However, a prolonged string of poor performances and soft dismissals resulted in him being dropped from the national team.

Ashraful during his Debut century

Career Best Performance:
In May and June 2005, Bangladesh toured England for a two-Test series against the hosts and a triangular ODI tournament involving England Australia. Although they won just one ODI out of six, their solitary victory against Australia was described by Wisden as "the biggest upset in one-day international history". Ashraful scored 100 to help his side to victory and was named Man of the Match for his efforts. He scored two more half centuries in the series, finishing with 259 runs at an average of 43.16, making him third-highest run-getter for the series.

Bangladesh Captiancy(2007-2009):

Shortly after the World Cup, India toured Bangladesh for two Test matches and three ODIs. In the second Test, which Bangladesh lost by an innings and 239 runs, Ashraful scored the fastest half-century in Test cricket in terms of time (taking 27 minutes) and equal second-fastest when measured in balls faced (scored off 26 balls). Aside from the 67 he managed in one of the fastest half-centuries in Test cricket, Ashraful managed just five more runs in the series; in two ODIs, he scored 41 runs. After defeats in both series, Habibul Bashar stepped down from Bangladesh's one day captaincy; Mohammad Ashraful was appointed the team captain in all forms of cricket on 2 June 2007. At the time, he had played 35 Test and 101 ODIs and had some experience of captaincy at domestic level. Aged 22, he was the second-youngest international captain.

Ashraful and Mortaza took on these roles from the start of the Sri Lanka tour in June 2007. Whatmore had declined to extend his contract and Shaun Williams took over as coach on a temporary basis. Bangladesh lost all three Tests by an innings; in a series in which his teams batsmen struggled – in the second Test they registered their lowest scored in an innings (62) – Ashraful scored the most runs for Bangladesh with 218 at an average of 43. In the second Test Ashraful combined with wicketkeeper Mushfiqur Rahim to score 191 for the sixth wicket, establishing a record for Bangladesh, and Ashraful scored 129 not out. Bangladesh also lost the three-match ODI series that followed 3–0. In September 2007 South Africa hosted the ICC World Twenty20. Victory against West Indies in the first round was enough to ensure Bangladesh's progression to the second round, although it was the only one of their five matches they won. In the match against West Indies, Ashraful scored a record-breaking half-century, coming off just 20 deliveries it was at the time the fastest T20I half-century in terms of balls faced; he held onto the record for six days before Yuvraj Singh claimed it in a match against England (his 50 took just 12 balls).

Ashraful's record as captain
	Matches	Won	Lost	Drawn
Test	13	0	12	1
ODI	38	8	30	–
T20I	11	2	9	–

Spot-fixing controversy

Mohammad Ashraful admitted to spot-fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League. The Bangladesh Cricket Board reacted immediately by suspending him from all forms of the game temporarily, until the ICC's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit submits its report on investigations into fixing. The alleged fixing involves a match between the Dhaka Gladiators and the Chittagong Kings teams during the second edition of the BPL on 2 February, 2013. The 28-year-old Ashraful was allegedly paid about $12,800 to lose the match, but the cheque he was given later bounced, according to the local media. He was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later, against the Barisal Burners, which his team lost by seven wickets. In June 2014, the Bangladesh Cricket Board found him guilty and banned him for eight years but reduced to five years (with two years suspended) later on.

Ashraful during a press conference

Felt sorry for letting down Sachin:

While the former Bangladesh captain expects to be back playing for the national team one day, there is a sudden dip in his voice when he talks about having let down Sachin Tendulkar. “He is my role model. The day he selected me for Mumbai Indians (IPL 2010, South Africa), it was the happiest moment of my life,” Ashraful narrates, in a chat with HT. “When I got involved in this corrupt practice, it pricked my conscience. I did not even have the courage to think about Sachin. I was ashamed of myself. I will never forgive myself for letting him down.”

Only after Tendulkar had announced his retirement did Ashraful muster feeble courage to send his best wishes over a text message to the cricket legend. “I wished him best of luck for the future. But I think he was too busy so did not reply,” Bangladesh's youngest Test centurion says, talking becoming increasingly difficult. “I have made a mistake and so I feel extremely uncomfortable when I even think of talking to Sachin.” Ashraful said to Hindustan Times.

Ashraful's International Career

Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50
Tests	61	119	5	2737	190	24	5940	46.07	6
ODIs	177	169	13	3468	109	22.23	4947	70.1	3
T20Is	23	23	0	450	65	19.56	356	126.4	0