Disgraced former national captain Mohammad Ashraful may turn his attention to coaching in the aftermath of his confessed involvement in the Bangladesh Premier League match-fixing scandal and subsequent suspension. Pledge Harbor School and Sports Academy, an English-medium residential school in Gazipur, has approached Ashraful to become its batting coach, and the embattled batsman admitted on Thursday that he is seriously considering it.
Ashraful had an extensive meeting with Pledge Harbor management to discuss the terms and conditions of his agreement before departing for England last month to seek legal advice regarding his match-fixing case. Sources confirmed that Ashraful gave them a positive reply.
‘I am thinking about it seriously, though nothing is finalised,’ Ashraful said.
‘I will be going for Hajj, and on my return I will take a final decision. It will also depend on the status of my legal proceedings in the match-fixing case,’ he said.
Ashraful confessed his involvement in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League match-fixing affair and has been suspended from all cricketing activities by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
The ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit has charged nine individuals with match-fixing and spot-fixing offences related to the BPL, and the seven Bangladeshis among them are unable to participate in any form of cricket under the BCB’s jurisdiction.
The youngest centurion in Test history was, however, confident that his return to cricket in this new capacity would not have any legal ramifications as Pledge Harbour does not fall under the BCB’s purview.
‘Probably there won’t be any legal obstruction,’ said Ashraful.
Pledge Harbor chairman ATM Saidul Alam hopes to include Ashraful in their set-up, a move that he believes will serve the school in two ways.
‘We considered him because of his honesty. His experience will definitely help my students become aware of good and evil in society,’ said Saidul.
‘Apart from that, there is no doubt about his cricket knowledge, which I believe will help my pupils become better cricketers,’ he added.
-With New Age input
