mohammad ashraful - Dhaka Mirror

Ashraful set for rehab in Dec

Admin — Sat, 22 Aug 2015 08:52:49 +0000

Suspended former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful is looking forward to start his rehabilitation and educational programme by December in order to pave the way of his return to competitive cricket next year. Ashraful is currently serving a five-year ban for his involvement in Bangladesh Premier League’s match-fixing scam. His five-year ban included a two-year suspended sentence provided the star batsman participates in the anti-corruption education and training programme to be organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the ICC [International Cricket Council].
Upon production of certificate of good conduct, Ashraful will be eligible to return to cricket on August 13 next year, said BCB’s disciplinary panel that reduced his original eight-year ban to five-year on appeal.
The ICC and BCB decided against contesting the verdict at Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport, giving Ashraful a lifeline to revive his career.
Ashraful, who is currently in USA and playing unofficial cricket, said he will return soon to start the process of his rehabilitation.
‘Hopefully, I can start my rehabilitation programme from December,’ Ashraful told New Age over phone from USA.
‘I am not sure about the date but probably it will begin before the end of this year,’ said Ashraful.
‘I will return to Bangladesh in October and will start taking necessary steps to complete the process as it is vital for me in order to make a comeback to competitive cricket,’ he said.
The ICC approved anti-corruption code allows banned players to make an early return to domestic cricket, if they are found to meet certain criteria.
These criteria include ‘the level of remorse shown by the player, his/her cooperation with the ACSU’s education programme.
Ashraful said that he has already informed the BCB about his availability for such rehabilitation programme.
Ashraful’s confidence was raised following a recent development in Pakistan, where Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amer completed their suspension and were made eligible for return next month.
Salman was originally handed a 10-year ban from any involvement in cricketing activities for spot-fixing during the Lord’s Test in August 2010, with five years suspended on the condition that he would commit no further breach.
Salman was also required to participate in a PCB-controlled anti-corruption education programme and the former captain successfully completed the educational programme to get the waiver.
Unlike Salman, who was resisted several times by PCB high-up when he attempted his rehab activities, Ashraful is expected to face no hostility.
The BCB officials said they are considering his case in sympathetic manner and will co-operate him once he starts his rehabilitation process.
‘Though the timing of the programme is yet to be confirmed but it is on the process,’ said BCB’s chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury.
‘We will surely make arrangements so that he can take part in that programme.’
A BCB official said Ashraful is required to address any BCB team, during which he will express his hate against corrupt practices, will admit his fault to make them aware.

-With New Age input

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Mushfiq makes Ashraful’s day

Admin — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 10:46:16 +0000

Suspended batsman Mohammad Ashraful received some moral support from national skipper Mushfiqur Rahim for his bold confession on Thursday
as he is trying hard to acclimatise to his new lifestyle.
Mushfiq seemed to have made the day for one of his close-to-the-heart national team-mates Ashraful with a text message that gave him the courage to reorganise his life.
‘Allah will be looking after you for being able to gather the courage to confess your guilt before you die,’ Mushfiq said in his short message.
‘Thanks for the honesty that you have shown and I hope that you will again return to the cricket field,’ added the message.
‘I was sad at the beginning when I saw the news on television for the first time,’ said Mushfiq, vowing his support for his embattled predecessor.
Bangladesh Cricket Board decided on Tuesday to suspend Ashraful from all sorts of cricket activities pending an ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit investigation on match-fixing allegations in the Bangladesh Premier League.
The executive members took the decision at an emergency meeting chaired by BCB president Nazmul Hasan considering Ashraful’s confession to the ACSU members about his involvement.
Ashraful broke down in tears in front of television cameras, drawing a lot of sympathy from the fans who argued that he should be pardoned for being a whistleblower in the entire issue.
The confession and subsequent suspension, however, changed his lifestyle completely, said his family members adding that he is now late in going to bed but rises early to say his morning prayers.
As he is not in a hurry to go to practice, Ashraful added a new habit to his daily routine and that is to go through the website of every major newspaper and online paper.
Ashraful also started giving more time to his business than ever at the restaurant Sichuan Garden he set up with a few other friends at Wari in the city.
His family members said Ashraful is encouraged by the volume of support he received from his fans and some other team-mates in his attempt to rebuild his life and now appears calm unlike the recent past.

-With New Age input

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Tears earn Ashraful more sympathy than hate

Admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:11:55 +0000

Mohammad Ashraful may have his cricketing career at risk after the Bangladesh Cricket Board suspended him indefinitely on charge of match-fixing, but his tearful confession
on television has earned him more of sympathy than hate.
Questions are also rife whether the cricket board made him a scapegoat in the scandal to save others involved in the affair.
The cricket board president, Nazmul Hasan, has already given his explanation saying that they would also bring the other accused, if found guilty in the investigation that is going on, to justice.
He said that they had suspended Ashraful because he has so far been the one to have confessed his guilt while the others are still trying to defend their causes.
But this has seemed to be a childish explanation to many cricket fans as the board has decided to bar Ashraful from cricketing at a time when some others accused in the scandal were yet to be questioned.
The name of Salim Chowdhury, the owner of Dhaka Gladiators, has come up time and again on the media for forcing Ashraful to lose the matches but nobody has seen him facing any question from the ICC’s Anti Corruption and Security Unity.
The franchisee is still the official champions of BPL 2 although the captain for two matches has been suspended after he admitted to losing the matches deliberately.
It is obvious that Ashraful acted at the instruction of some one and was helped by some other players to carry out the instructions. But the board has not barred other parties from playing cricket or participating in cricketing activities.
Former captain Faruque Ahmed felt that Ashraful was the only one who could be punished and he felt sorry for the player, someone who he said could not be produced overnight.
‘There is no doubt that he is the one to be punished and I feel sorry for that,’ Faruque told New Age on Wednesday. ‘It is obvious that someone else has provoked him for the wrong practice and I think the the board should punish them as well.’
‘Their punishment should be severer as they put the country’s cricket in a crisis. You can get a franchisee owner from anywhere but cannot get an Ashraful overnight,’ he said.
‘Human minds are very complex. If someone always sends out a certain signal to an individual, he can easily fall into the trap. I think that this is what happened to Ashraful. And this is why the board should be tough against instigators.’
Cricket fans said that when Ashraful had given the nation many joyous moments and blown the whistle to bring the dark side of the Bangladesh cricket into light, his franchisee owners have brought only shame for the country.
‘I think that the board can still be lenient to Ashraful. He at least has given an honest confession. But the men who provoked him has neither confessed nor made any contribution to our cricket in the past,’ Hasan Imam, a university student, said.
‘They came here to make quick money and they did it at the expense of our cricketing talent. So they should not be spared,’ he added.
Shaila, another university student, said that law enforcers should take the matter in their hand immediately.
‘We saw the son-in-law of the Indian cricket board president to be arrested by the police for his involvement in match-fixing. I hope that our Dhaka owners are not more powerful than he,’ she said.
‘India did it without any specific law against match-fixing. So it cannot be an excuse in our country,’ she added.

-With New Age input

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Ashraful feels relieved

Admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 09:10:40 +0000

Former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful, who was banned from cricket temporarily, said that he felt relieved after he had apologised in public for his involvement in match-fixing.
Ashraful broke the silence to the media hours later after the Bangladesh Cricket Board had banned him for making a confession to the Anti Corruption and Security Unit of the ICC about match-fixing in the Bangladesh Premier League.
The country’s cricketing arena was rocked by the entire saga when the board president, Nazmul Hasan, made public the decision about Ashraful as Tigers had lost one of the most talented cricketers.
For the youngest Test centurion, the whole episode brought back sort of peace in mind that he has eagerly yearned for after missing it since the news about his confession to the ICC investigative officers was leaked to the media.
‘I feel relived,’ Ashraful told New Age on Wednesday. ‘I had a very good sleep last night probably because there was hardly any internal or external pressure,’ he said looking to regain his composure after breaking down in front of the media while giving his reaction.
‘I felt like it had helped me to drain out a a burden,’ Ashraful said adding that he had spoken with some close friends and relatives of his during this time that also included former national skipper Aminul Islam.
‘I was speaking with some friends of mine who have always stood by me,’ Ashraful said.
‘I have also spoken with Bulbul Bhai [Aminul Islam]. But it is not anything unusual as we talk quite often,’ he added.
Ashraful said that he was yet to feel any difference regarding the approach of others. ‘I spent the whole day at home and nobody reacted differently,’ he said.
‘It has been all the same with everyone I have met so far,’ he added.

-With New Age input

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Ashraful suspended sans match-fixing probe

Admin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 04:04:32 +0000

Mohammad Ashraful, former skipper of Bangladesh, was kept off from any cricketing activities under the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) jurisdiction until the final report of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) on investigations into suspected match-fixing and spot-fixing allegations in this year’s BPL is submitted. The decision was taken based on Ashraful’s confession to the ACSU of his involvement in fixing BPL matches for Dhaka Gladiators.
The final report of the ACSU is expected to be submitted within a week. If the report carries any concrete proof against any person, the BCB will take stern action according to ICC laws.
“As he (Ashraful) has confessed to his involvement in fixing matches in the BPL to the ACSU team, he should not be allowed to play any level of cricket until we get the full report of the investigation,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan Papon told reporters in a jam-packed press conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.
A frustrated and dejected Ashraful, however, sought apology from the nation, admitting his involvement in the misdeed after he was temporarily banned from playing cricket.
“I sought apology from the nation for my involvement. In my 12 years’ career, I have tried to keep my honesty. It’s the first time that the ACSU had grilled me on the match-fixing issue. So I decided to cooperate with them for the sake of cricket. I admitted to the ACSU what I did and who were involved with me. I tried to tell the whole truth. At this point I can’t disclose in what situation I had to do this,” Ashraful told the reporters at his residence.
It’s the first time he talked to reporters after news of his involvement broke out.
Some players like Mosharraf Hossain Rubel, Mahbubul Alam Robin and the management of Dhaka Gladiators were also reportedly involved in match-fixing, but no decision was taken about their fate.
“The names of some other players have also come up, but they denied their involvement. So we can’t take any decision regarding them until they are proved guilty,” he added.
The BCB and the ICC will jointly make the ACSU report public, Papon said.
“The ACSU members told me that they would submit their report within five or six days, as they were on the verge of finalising it. They have quizzed all people involved except one whom they were supposed to grill abroad yesterday (Monday). If they have completed quizzing that person, they are now preparing the report. But if they get some new information and if they feel that they need to quiz more people, it might take some more days to prepare the report,” Papon said.
He also revealed that if the ACSU submits concrete proof regarding involvement of the players in match-fixing, the BCB will punish them straightway, without waiting to form any other investigation committee to look into the matter further.
“If there is any concrete proof, no need to wait for anything else as the BCB has the right to punish them. And we’ll not tolerate such irregularities in our cricket. We’ll give them exemplary punishment,” said Papon. According to ICC laws, players can be banned for six months to lifetime for their involvement in match-fixing.
Ashraful also reportedly revealed the names of former skippers Khaled Mahmud Sujon and Khaled Mashud Pilot and left arm spinner Mohammad Rafique, who introduced him to a bookie at different points of his career.
When asked, the BCB chief said: “The ICC will investigate the matter of the international matches. The investigation will be lengthy as the incident happened a long time ago. The ACSU will only investigate the matter of the BPL.”

-With The Independent input

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Banned Ashraful apologies to nation

Admin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 03:31:42 +0000

Banned former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful on Tuesday apologised to the nation for letting them down by involving himself in match-fixing and spot-fixing in
the local and international matches.
His apology came hours after the Bangladesh Cricket Board banned him until further notice pending the full report of an investigation by the Anti-Corruption and Security issue of International Cricket Council.
This was his first public appearance since the ongoing match-fixing saga that unfolded in the media.
‘I should not have done this injustice to the nation. I feel guilty,’ Ashraful told a private television channel in an interview. ‘I would only say ‘Please, everyone forgive me, my conduct was improper,’ said Ashraful.
‘I admitted to the ACSU about all the wrongdoings that I had committed during the 12-year long career,’ said Ashraful with his eyes swollen and his heart aching.
‘I had lots of fan following while a lot of people used to love me but I betrayed them,’ he added.
Ashraful’s name came up after a leading Bengali daily leaked his confession to ACSU regarding his involvement in match-fixing during the Bangladesh Premier League.
Later it was reported that the 28-year old Gladiators star Ashraful was allegedly paid about one million taka ($12,800) to lose the match against Chittagong Kings on February 2 but the cheque he was given later bounced.
The big-hitting batsman was also allegedly involved in fixing another match 10 days later, against the Barisal Burners, in which his team lost by seven wickets, the local newspaper reports have said.
Ashraful said he always felt it was necessary to tell everything to the ICC but he insisted that he never got the chance.
‘I confessed it all for the sake of cricket. If I was quizzed earlier I would have admitted. In my 12-year career I was first interrogated when we came back from Zimbabwe and I readily admitted all my offences.
‘I played nearly 250 Tests, ODIs and Twenty20s in my 12-year career. May be I have committed a few wrongs. But I always wanted to tell them. I never wanted to feel guilty and tried to remain as honest as I could be and performed to the best of my abilities for my country,’ he said.
‘It is not that I felt guilty just during the international matches. People in Bangladesh always loved me and I have let them down. They always trusted me. But for me the situation was different.
‘I was a victim of the situation,’ he said.
Ashraful became the country’s youngest Test centurion in 2001 at the age of 17 and captained Bangladesh between 2007 and 2009.

-With New Age input

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The rise and fall of a superstar

Admin — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 03:30:20 +0000

No one related with Bangladesh cricket could possibly have envisaged the rise and fall of Mohammad Ashraful, the country’s first cricket superstar.
Ever since he made his bow in a Test match against Sri Lanka in 2001 as a precocious 17-year old, the only way was up for the big-hitting batsman.In that very Test match against the Sri Lankans, Ashraful scripted his way into the history books by blasting a century to become the youngest ever-Test centurion since the inception of Test cricket in 1877.
The world of cricket had begun to take notice of the many talents portrayed by the gifted batsman.
One by one followed some mesmerising knocks over the years which took everyone’s breath away. The little man in stature displayed such enchantment to his fans that even during his off days, and there were plenty, people still backed him in numbers.
Such was the impact of his flair that the name Ashraful will forever be associated with some memorable wins, wins without which it would be difficult to write the history of Bangladesh cricket.
And each knock was equally compelling than the other. Very few can ever forget that scintillating innings of 100 in an ODI against Australia at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff which defied belief. The ease with which Ashraful dispatched the deliveries bowled by Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz to the boundary fence was evident for all to see.
History was created as Bangladesh defeated Australia, back then the benchmark of all cricketing nations, for the very first time in international cricket. The then Australian captain Ricky Ponting had nothing but a smile on his face.
Then there was that blistering innings of 158 in a Test match against India in 2004. Zaheer Khan and Irfan Pathan were known for their guile with the swinging delivery but Ashraful was unperturbed as he struck no less than 24 boundaries and three sixes in his 194-ball stay, which is not too dissimilar to a one-day knock.
Despite displays of inconsistency every once in a while, Ashraful never failed to enthrall his legion of supporters. No one will perhaps forget his enterprising 87 against South Africa in the 2007 ICC World Cup, which also brought a win against the Southern African nation for the first time.
The trend of Ashraful’s brilliancy does not stop there. The audacity with which Ashraful regularly came down the ticket to Stephen Harmison and Andrew Flintoff and the disdain treatment that he dished out throughout his 52-ball 94 will always be itched in the minds of the cricket fans in the country.
Each innings was identically dazzling to the other as one might point out to his 27-ball 61 against the West Indies in the ICC World Twenty20 in 2007 to be one of his finest ever innings.
The landscape of Bangladesh cricket, however, turned totally upside down when revelations came out of Ashraful’s involvement in match-fixing. Disbelief gave way to sadness as he admitted his role in the recent fiasco, much to the grave disappointment of his followers.
His apology to the country on Tuesday and the tears that followed only compounded the misery of his fans.
However, the show must go on and the beautiful game of cricket, which is often referred to as the gentleman’s game, must rid of all the ugly happenings and the personalities responsible for it.
Everyone too will move on, perhaps remembering Ashraful as the great tragic hero who presented many beautiful days to the people who fell in love with Bangladesh cricket.

-With New Age input

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Ashraful awaits fate today

Admin — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 03:41:46 +0000

The Bangladesh Cricket Board could seal the fate of batman Mohammad Ashraful after his confession of match-fixing to the ICC Anti Corruption and Security Unit when it sits in an emergency meeting today.
The meeting was called to apprise the BCB members about the ongoing investigation into the match-fixing scandal in the Bangladesh Premier League by ACSU.An ACSU panel that was visiting Dhaka for the two days left the city on Monday after a meeting with the BCB president, Nazmul Hasan, who was not ready to disclose anything to the media before he apprises the issue to his BCB colleagues.
Barring Nazmul, acting BCB chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury and BPL secretary Ismail Haider Mallick, all the BCB officials were in the dark about the ACSU investigation that has been going on for quite sometime.
The investigation came to light only after recent media reports, most of which implicated former captain Mohammad Ashraful in the entire saga. The BCB officials, however, refused to confirm if the investigation was over or the ACSU members will come again to dig into the matter further.
‘They [ACSU] have left for Dubai, we are not sure if they will come again,’ Nizamuddin Chowdhury, acting chief executive officer of the BCB, told reporters on Monday.
‘The board president will brief on this matter. We will have a meeting before he speaks to the media tomorrow [Tuesday],’ said Nizamuddin.
The governing council of the BPL sought assistance from the ACSU in order to rid the game of corruption and the investment of about Tk 2 crore was vindicated as they could get hold of some of the wrongdoers.
It was reported that Gladiators owner Salim Chowdhury and managing director Shihab Chowdhury asked Ashraful to give up some matches and use certain bowlers during the overs in question.
The Gladiators owners reportedly had a meeting with Ashraful before the tournament where it was alleged that they promised to clear the dues of the players from the first edition if he managed to fix some matches.
Though the Gladiators owners vehemently denied the allegations, their involvement in the affair became further clear when their bowling coach Mohammad Rafique accused them of match-fixing.
It was reported that Ashraful, along with the Gladiators’ left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain and pace bowler Mahbubul Alam might be banned temporarily for their alleged involvement in match-fixing.
ACSU quizzed the managing director of Gladiators, Shihab Chowdhury, along with officials named Ali Akbar and Jamilur Rashid but could not interrogate the chairman, Salim Chowdhury.
It was also learnt that the ACSU members were looking to interrogate Gladiators boss Salim but he was not available in the country and his no show-up before the ACSU could further prolong the investigation.

-With New Age input

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Ashraful did it for so little?

Admin — Mon, 27 May 2013 03:20:38 +0000

Embattled former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful agreed to give up the matches for an extra amount of Tk 10 lakh he was promised by the owners of Dhaka Gladiators,
his family sources said on Sunday.
Ironically, the cheque he was given by Gladiators for the misdeed was bounced by the bank, just like many other BPL cheques, leaving Ashraful with nothing in the end.
Ashraful is now cursing his luck as that decision has now jeopardised his career. Ashraful told his friends and family members that he could now be banned for life, or for a minimum of three years after he confessed the offence to the ICC Anti-Corruption officials.
BCB sources said Ashraful told the ICC Anti-Corruption and Security Unit that he was told by the Gladiators management to lose the match. Dhaka Gladiators coach Ian Pont was also involved in the affair.
Ashraful told his family members that he agreed to provide the full details to the ACSU officials only after they promised him of a minimum punishment. He was told that Pont had already confessed his guilt in London while being questioned by the same officials and if he does not confess there could be a severe punishment for him.
It was learnt that Ashrfaul told ACSU that Chittagong Kings coach Khaled Mahmud was aware of the events.
Mahmud, however, denied the allegation outright and he did not have the slightest idea of what was happening inside the dressing room of his opponents.
Meanwhile, Dhaka Gladiator’s owner Salim Chowdhury also denied the allegation of paying Ashraful for losing the match.
‘It is totally baseless and I am not aware of any such dealing,’ Salim told New Age on Sunday. If the cheque had bounced there must be a copy with him. Can he show it now,’ said Salim.

-With New Age input

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Embattled Ashraful flies to Uk

Admin — Sun, 26 May 2013 04:55:40 +0000

Former national skipper Mohammad Ashraful is all set to fly to England next week to avoid the controversy after he was implicated in a match-fixing scandal this week.
Ashraful became the talk of the country after a report leaked that the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit quizzed him recently suspecting his involvement in fixing two matches in the Bangladesh Premier League.
‘I wish to go to England next week to take a break,’ Ashraful told New Age on Saturday.
‘I need to get some space to breathe freely after all that happened to me recently,’ said Asharaful.
Ashraful added that he would be back before the Dhaka Premier League to participate in it.
Friends and family members said Ashraful broke down mentally after the ongoing saga unfolded.

-With New Age input

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